HM Treasury

LIBOR: Fines

Tom Elliott: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much of the funding raised from Libor fines has been distributed to charitable projects and good causes in each region and constituent part of the UK.

Tom Elliott: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure that every region and constituent part of the UK benefits from money raised from Libor fines.

Tom Elliott: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what funding to air ambulance services he has provided from Libor fines.

Tom Elliott: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what funding for air ambulance services he plans to provide from Libor fines.

Greg Hands: In the last two financial years HM Treasury has received £1.3bn in LIBOR and FX banks fines. All LIBOR penalties received in this time period have been allocated to military or other uniformed charities. All foreign exchange penalties received in this time period have been allocated to create a fund for advanced care in GP practices and community healthcare facilities.Each bid for charitable funding from Libor fines is considered on its individual merits and with a clear intention that awards should benefit the widest range of military charities and good causes across the whole of the United Kingdom.Awards of Libor funds are usually made at the Autumn Statement or the Budget.

Revenue and Customs: Performance Standards

Phil Boswell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent steps HM Revenue and Customs has taken to shorten waiting times for customers.

Mr David Gauke: In the summer, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) recruited 3,000 additional staff into customer facing teams. The recruitment process included bringing people in on contracts to work in the evenings and at weekends, thus building capacity to handle calls outside of normal working hours.HMRC have also implemented their biggest ever training programme, ensuring that customer support teams can move across a wide range of work according to customer demand.

Overseas Investment

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the earnings from UK overseas assets were in each of the last 30 years.

Greg Hands: Earnings from UK overseas assets are below.Year Earnings From Overseas Assets(£bn)1985 50.11986 45.51987 46.41988 54.61989 71.71990 76.51991 73.91992 65.41993 71.21994 72.91995 85.81996 90.11997 96.21998 105.91999 103.42000 134.52001 139.92002 124.22003 124.92004 140.92005 193.02006 249.32007 307.92008 287.92009 175.12010 174.02011 200.02012 170.42013 148.52014 141.1Further information can be found in the ONS UK Balance of Payments.

Overseas Investment

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the likely level of earnings from UK overseas assets over the next 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Hands: The latest forecasts by the Office of Budget Responsibility show that the UK’s net investment income is expected to move to a surplus of £0.5bn in 2018, rising to £4.9bn by 2020.Further information can be found in the OBR Economic and Fiscal Outlook.

Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

Andrew Bingham: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the loss of tax revenues from road fund licences arising from incorrect emissions figures for Volkswagen vehicles.

Damian Hinds: The Government takes the unacceptable actions of Volkswagen extremely seriously and is taking robust action to get to the bottom of the emissions scandal.The Government has announced that UK taxpayers will not incur higher Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) if their existing vehicles are found to be affected by the emissions scandal.The Government continues to monitor the actions of Volkswagen closely and will consider all options once the facts are fully clarified.

Environment Protection: Taxation

Helen Hayes: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the change in projected Government expenditure for 2020 under the Levy Control Framework resulting from the decision to freeze the level of the carbon price floor in the 2014 Budget.

Damian Hinds: There is no change in the government’s ambition for deployment of new renewable generation or strike prices from the decision to cap the carbon price support at Budget 2014. At Budget 2014 the established Levy Control Framework arrangements and budget provide the flexibility to achieve the investment and growth that is needed to tackle climate change and meet the renewable energy target.

Welfare Tax Credits: Older People

Owen Smith: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of how many people over the age of 55 are likely to be affected by the Government's changes to tax credits.

Damian Hinds: This information is not available.This Government is committed to moving from a high welfare, high tax, low wage economy to a lower welfare, lower tax, higher wage society. As the Chancellor has made clear, the Government will set out at Autumn Statement how we plan to achieve the same goal of reforming tax credits, saving the money we need to save to secure our economy, while at the same time helping in the transition.

Welfare Tax Credits

Owen Smith: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of how many working households including people under 25 are likely to lose income as a result of changes he has announced to tax credits.

Owen Smith: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of how many households are likely to be negatively affected by the measures announced in the Summer Budget 2015.

Owen Smith: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people aged 18 to 21 in receipt of housing benefit also received tax credits in the most recent period for which figures are available; and what assessment he has made of the effect on those people of planned reforms to tax credit.

Damian Hinds: The Government is committed to achieving a higher wage, lower tax, lower welfare economy. That means more emphasis on support to working families on low incomes through reducing tax and increasing wages, than on topping up low wages through tax credits.The Chancellor is listening to concerns raised by colleagues and will announce in his Autumn Statement how he plans to achieve the same goal of reforming tax credits and saving the money we need to secure our economy, while at the same time helping in the transition.

Assets: Northern Ireland

Dr Alasdair McDonnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he expects revenue to be generated to the public purse from the sale of assets, buildings and land in Northern Ireland during 2015-16; and if so for what amount.

Greg Hands: The devolved administrations have the capacity to generate income from asset sales and should do so where this is a sensible way of realising value for taxpayers and freeing up resources for investment.The Government has committed to securing good value for money for taxpayers by establishing UK Government Investments to deliver the sale of a wide range of publicly-owned assets.The Stormont House Agreement contains specific measures whereby the Treasury would allow the Northern Ireland Executive to retain the proceeds of specific agreed asset sales in their entirety, and give exceptional consideration to those funds being used for a combination of both capital and resource spending.

Gambling: Taxation

Nigel Adams: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on competition between different sectors in the gaming industry of different forms of gambling taxation; and if he will make a statement.

Damian Hinds: The Treasury keeps all aspects of tax policy under review, and routinely looks at the impact of gambling tax policy on the industry.

Members: Correspondence

Owen Smith: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Pontypridd of 9 October 2015 on the cumulative effect on working families of his reforms to tax credits and benefits.

Damian Hinds: I have replied to the hon member.

Child Benefit: Expenditure

Tom Brake: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much of the welfare budget was spent on child benefit in 2014-15.

Damian Hinds: The latest available estimates of Child Benefit expenditure in 2014-15 can be found in Table 4.19 of the publication ‘Economic and fiscal outlook – July 2015’ available here: http://budgetresponsibility.org.uk/economic-fiscal-outlook-july-2015/

Higher Education: Productivity

Seema Malhotra: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what evidential basis there is for there being a link between enabling students from low and middle income backgrounds to attend university and improving UK productivity set out in his report, Fixing the foundations: Creating a more prosperous nation, published in July 2015.

Greg Hands: The link between productivity as measured by wage returns and higher education is well established. Academic evidence shows that a woman can expect on average to earn £252,000 more over their lifetime after studying at university, net of taxes and loan repayments. For a man the equivalent figure is £168,000. This government believes that people from all backgrounds should be able to benefit from a university education. UCAS data suggests that those from disadvantaged areas are 38% more likely to apply to university now than they were in 2009.

Welfare Tax Credits: Families

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 2 November 2015 to Question 13279, for what reason his Department has not estimated or calculated the number of families whose income will be reduced as a result of proposed changes to tax credits.

Damian Hinds: This Government is committed to moving from a high welfare, high tax, low wage economy to a lower welfare, lower tax, higher wage society. As the Chancellor has made clear, the Government will set out at Autumn Statement how we plan to achieve the same goal of reforming tax credits, saving the money we need to save to secure our economy, while at the same time helping in the transition.

Productivity

Stephen Timms: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to increase productivity in 2015-16.

Greg Hands: Boosting productivity is vital for the UK’s living standards in the long term and the government is committed to tackling the UK’s long history of poor productivity growth. In July the government published “Fixing the foundations: Creating a more prosperous nation” – a 15 point plan for productivity growth in the UK over the next decade.

Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

Craig Mackinlay: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will (a) consider legal action to recover tax due from Volkswagen as a consequence of carbon dioxide outputs and nitrogen dioxide levels and (b) commit to not reassessing tax payments for an additional benefit in kind as a result of higher carbon dioxide outputting vehicles.

Damian Hinds: The Government takes the unacceptable actions of Volkswagen extremely seriously and is taking robust action to get to the bottom of the emissions sandal.The Government has announced that no UK taxpayers will be penalised by higher taxes if their existing vehicles are found to be affected by the emissions testing scandal.The Government continues to monitor the actions of Volkswagen closely and will consider all options once the facts are fully clarified.

Financial Services: Females

Alison McGovern: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government plans to take to ensure that more women progress to senior levels in the financial services industry.

Harriett Baldwin: As part of the Productivity Plan, the Government has asked Jayne-Anne Gadhia, CEO of Virgin Money, to lead a review into representation of women in senior managerial roles in the financial services industry. Her review will report next year.

Financial Services: Females

Alison McGovern: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans the Government has to support the recommendation made in the review led by Jayne-Anne Gadhia on women in finance that pay packages for executives be linked to a financial services firm's gender balance.

Harriett Baldwin: The government welcomes Jayne-Anne Gadhia’s work to date and will consider the final recommendations when the review reports next year.

VAT: North West

Helen Jones: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the amount received by his Department in VAT payments from further education and sixth form colleges in (a) the UK, (b) the North West and (c) Warrington in each of the last five years.

Mr David Gauke: No estimate has been made. Data is not available on the VAT received from further education and sixth form colleges in the United Kingdom, the North West or Warrington in the last five years.

Productivity

Peter Kyle: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, who has overall ministerial responsibility for meeting the objectives set out in Fixing the foundations: creating a more prosperous nation, Cm9098, published in July 2015.

Greg Hands: The Chancellor of the Exchequer and Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills have overall responsibility for meeting the objectives set out in “Fixing the foundations: creating a more prosperous nation”.The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Chancellor of the Exchequer and attended by Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, is ultimately responsible for tracking and driving forward these objectives.Lord O’Neill, Commercial Secretary to the Treasury, has day to day responsibility for implementing the commitments.

Welfare Tax Credits: Scotland

Deidre  Brock: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether it is proposed for welfare payments made by the Scottish Government, provided for under any Act arising from the Scotland Bill, to count as income for the purposes of calculating tax credits.

Damian Hinds: The Smith Commission agreement, agreed by all the main parties in Scotland, set out those benefits where power should be devolved to the Scottish Parliament. Tax credits were not amongst those benefits.However, under the current Scotland Bill clauses, the Scottish Government will have the power to top-up tax credits, as long as it does so through using its own resources. The Smith Commission agreement said that any new benefits or discretionary payments introduced by the Scottish Parliament must provide additional income for a recipient and not result in an automatic offsetting reduction in their entitlement to other benefits. Once the Scottish Government have been clear about how they want to use their new powers, we will work with them to understand the interactions between the reserved and devolved benefit systems.

Prime Minister

China: Nuclear Disarmament

Paul Flynn: To ask the Prime Minister, what recent discussions he has had with President Xi of China on joint multilateral initiatives the UK and China can take towards nuclear disarmament.

Mr David Cameron: During last month’s State Visit, President Xi Jinping and I discussed the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s nuclear programme, and the importance of working together to halt its progress. The UK also engages with China on multilateral disarmament, and a range of nuclear disarmament issues, through the mechanism of the P5 Dialogue.

Department for Work and Pensions

Employment

Phil Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the finding of the Equality and Human Rights Commission in its report, Is Britain Fairer, published in October 2015, that the employment gap between the oldest and youngest age groups has increased.

Phil Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to paragraph 5.2 of the Equality and Human Rights Commission report, Is Britain Fairer, published October 2015, what steps he plans to take to address that report's conclusion that the employment rate for young people has fallen and the unemployment rate has risen, even accounting for increased participation in education.

Priti Patel: The employment rate of young people who have left full-time education is 73.9% – its highest level in more than a decade and above the UK working age average. The rate for young people not in full-time education is the highest for over ten yearsOver time participation in education has grown, and the majority of young people in full-time education are outside the labour force. The proportion of all young people who have left full-time education and are unemployed is 6.2% - below where it was before the recession and close to the lowest on record. The UK performs well internationally, with the fourth highest youth employment rate in the European Union.The employment rate for young people fell during the recession and, as a result, unemployment rose. The EHRC report did not take full account of the recovery in the labour market, including the youth labour market that has since taken place.

Department for Work and Pensions: Stationery

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the value of stationery that has been (a) lost and (b) stolen from his Department in each of the last five fiscal years; and what the cost was of replacing such stationery.

Justin Tomlinson: This information is not available, as there is no central record kept of lost or stolen stationery.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Expenditure

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much of the welfare budget was spent on jobseeker's allowance claimants in 2014-15.

Priti Patel: Total Jobseeker’s Allowance expenditure in 2014/15 was £3,065m.Detailed information on benefit expenditure is available in our Benefit Expenditure tables which can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/benefit-expenditure-and-caseload-tables-2015

Social Security Benefits: Expenditure

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much of the welfare budget was spent on employment and support allowance, incapacity benefit and income support claimants or universal credit claims with sickness or disability elements in 2014-15.

Priti Patel: The benefit expenditure for 2014/15 is in the table below:Benefit2014/15 expenditure £mEmployment & Support Allowance12,827Incapacity Benefit245Income Support incapacity389Severe Disablement Allowance735Total14,196Severe Disablement Allowance is a non-contributory version of Incapacity Benefit and is included here for completeness. Information on the sickness or disability element of Universal Credit is currently unavailable.Detailed information on benefit expenditure is available in our Benefit Expenditure tables which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/benefit-expenditure-and-caseload-tables-2015

State Retirement Pensions: Expenditure

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much of the welfare budget was spent on the state pension in 2014-15.

Justin Tomlinson: Total State Pension expenditure in 2014/15 was £86,516m.Detailed information on benefit expenditure is available in our Benefit Expenditure tables which can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/benefit-expenditure-and-caseload-tables-2015

Social Security Benefits: Immigrants

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many benefit claimants in 2014-15 were not British citizens.

Priti Patel: The information as requested is not available.

Personal Independence Payment: Veterans

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many war veterans have applied for personal independence payment.

Justin Tomlinson: Information on the number of claims to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) by war veterans is not available as details about current or previous occupations are not collected as part of the application or assessment process.Service personnel and veterans who are entitled to a Guaranteed Income Payment of 50% or higher through the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme are eligible to apply for Armed Forces Independence Payment instead of PIP. There have been 873 applications for this payment to date.

Access to Work Programme

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many disabled people have been helped back to work by the Access to Work scheme in each of the last five years.

Justin Tomlinson: The table below lists annual totals for people who have been helped by Access to Work in each of the last five years.Customer Type2010-112011-122012-132013-142014-15 Existing customer22,48020,76020,67022,85024,730New customer helped13,33010,01010,83012,72012,080Total35,81030,78031,50035,56036,820Access to Work is not an exclusively back-to-work scheme and the department’s data do not distinguish between those helped into new employment opportunities and those helped to retain existing work. The data quoted here are for total numbers helped by Access to Work. These figures are taken from the latest statistics for Access to Work, which show figures for people helped by the scheme going back to 2007 and are published quarterly here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/468889/access-to-work-statistics-apr-jun-2015.pdf

Housing Benefit

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he plans to respond to the Fourth Report from the Work and Pensions Committee, on Support for housing costs in the reformed welfare system, Session 2013-14, HC 720, published on 2 April 2014.

Justin Tomlinson: I refer my Hon Member to the answer I gave on 15 October 2015 to Question UIN 11314.

Personal Independence Payment

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average number of personal independence payment assessments undertaken each week was in September and October 2015.

Justin Tomlinson: The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Carer's Allowance

Natalie McGarry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) Glasgow and (d) Glasgow East constituency who had claimed carer's allowance immediately prior to attaining state pension age have ceased to be eligible to claim that allowance upon their receipt of the state pension since (i) January 2015, (ii) January 2014, (iii) January 2013, (iv) January 2012, (v) January 2011, (vi) May 2010 and (vii) January 2010.

Justin Tomlinson: There is no upper age limit to claiming Carer’s Allowance, so reaching State Pension age does not automatically remove eligibility to Carer’s Allowance.However, both Carer’s Allowance and State Pension serve to help replace income forgone, so social security rules operate to prevent them being paid together as that would be a duplicate provision for the same need. But, if a carer’s State Pension is less than Carer's Allowance, State Pension is paid and topped up with Carer's Allowance to the basic weekly rate of Carer's Allowance, which is currently £62.10.Where Carer’s Allowance cannot be paid, the person will keep underlying entitlement to the benefit. This gives access to the additional amount for carers in Pension Credit, currently worth up to £34.60 a week, and even if a pensioner’s income is above the limit for Pension Credit, he or she may still be able to receive Housing Benefit.

Carer's Allowance

Natalie McGarry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many men in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) Glasgow and (d) Glasgow East constituency who are aged (i) 60, (ii) 61, (iii) 62, (iv) 63, (v) 64, (vi) 65, (vii) 66, and (viii) 67 are in receipt of carers' allowance in the 2015-16 financial year.

Natalie McGarry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) Glasgow and (d) Glasgow East constituency are in receipt of both the state pension and carer's allowance in the 2015-16  financial year.

Justin Tomlinson: The information as requested for 2015/16 is not available.However information on the number of people in receipt of both the State Pension and Carer's Allowance is published by the Department on a quarterly basis. The latest data available is February 2015 which can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dwp-statistics-tabulation-toolInformation for Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Department for Social Development. Northern Ireland statistics can be found at:http://www.dsdni.gov.uk/index/stats_and_research/benefit_publications.htm

Jobcentre Plus: Plaistow

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, who authorised the payment from the Flexible Support Fund which led to the dismissal of two staff from Plaistow Jobcentre in May 2014.

Priti Patel: The information requested as to the identity of the authorising officer cannot be shared as it contains personal information relating to third parties.

Jobcentre Plus: Plaistow

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions were held with the two Jobcentre Plus staff dismissed from Plaistow Jobcentre in May 2014 after a complaint about misuse of the Flexible Support Fund on (a) whether that misuse was part of a pattern of malpractice and (b) by whom it was authorised.

Priti Patel: Allegations of misuse of the Flexible Support Fund at Plaistow Jobcentre during 2013 and 2014 were investigated fully by the Department’s investigators. Various discussions were held and investigators also undertook further work, completed in July 2014, which examined whether there was a pattern of malpractice or any evidence of wider misuse, of which none was found, of the Flexible Support Fund at this office or other offices in the immediate area.

Jobcentre Plus: Plaistow

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many complaints were made by jobseekers about advisers at Plaistow Jobcentre between 1 June 2013 and 31 May 2014.

Priti Patel: The information is not collated centrally. To provide this information could only be done so at disproportionate cost.

Home Office

Asylum: Applications

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to reduce the time taken to process asylum applications.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 19 October 2015



We have an ongoing recruitment campaign to ensure we maintain our levels of decision makers and have also began work to further improve on the efficiency of our interview and decision-making process across case work teams. We have significantly improved our suite of guidance on considering asylum claims, including key instructions on asylum interviews and assessing credibility. We have also streamlined processes by reducing the volume of paperwork required and cutting duplication in the asylum process, including improvements to the way in which decisions are explained to applicants in correspondence to make it easier to understand. These changes are designed to support caseworkers to improve decision quality and efficiency to ensure we grant protection where it is needed whilst refusing unfounded claims more quickly, whilst also ensuring a more customer focused approach. We aim to decide straightforward asylum claims within six months.

Fraud

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to address the rise in behavioural scamming.

Mike Penning: Fraudsters use a variety of methods to extract personal data from the public. This includes calling or emailing individuals, claiming to be from a trusted authority figure or organisation. Any person who believes they have been affected by telephone or email scams should report to Action Fraud, the national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime. Action Fraud is operated by the City of London Police.Through our Cyber Streetwise campaign we are helping the public understand how to protect themselves from fraud and cybercrime. This includes notifying them of the key threats and highlighting simple security measures to take.Ofcom, the communications regulator in the UK, has worked closely with the Metropolitan Police Service, Action Fraud and landline providers to prevent criminals exploiting phone lines to trick and defraud members of the public. All landline providers have now reduced the time a call remains open after one party hangs up down to two seconds. This makes it much more difficult for criminals to exploit phone lines in this way.

Stansted Airport: Immigration Controls

Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the (a) maximum and (b) average recorded waiting time was for an EU passport holder at customs at London Stansted airport on each day of September 2015; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 29 October 2015



The maximum and average queuing times for EU passport holders at Stansted during the month of September 2015 are given in the attached table. Passenger waiting times at passport control are influenced by a number of factors. These include so called ‘flight bunching’, where a large number of flights arrive within a short period of time, and passengers using non-machine readable documents, which inevitably take longer for Border Force Officers to process. Such documents, which do not have a biometric reader and have a long history of being abused by imposters, need to be manually checked by Border Force Officers.Border Force and Stansted Airport have jointly invested in 15 new generation E-Gates which are helping to reduce passenger waiting times. Both organisations continue to work together to further improve the passenger experience at Stansted.

Deportation: Bristol South

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people resident in Bristol South constituency were deported in each year from 2005 to 2014.

James Brokenshire: The information requested is set out in the table below:Year Total 200614200713200820200914201016201130201210201315201410Total 142CaveatsBristol South constituency postcodes taken from the ONS Postcode Directory (ONSPD) (Office for National Statistics)Data is based on the last recorded address on CID at the time of departure, incorrect/incomplete postcodes will not have been matchedRemoval figures uses Management Information based on the Historical Removal report.Figures provided from 2006 onwards as earlier data is not captured due to the unreliability of CID data at that time.The figures quoted have been derived from management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols.

Refugees: Syria

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will publish its strategic plan for housing Syrian refugees.

Richard Harrington: Holding answer received on 02 November 2015



This is a voluntary scheme whereby local authorities sign up to accept refugees on a voluntary basis. Housing is one element they would take into consideration before participating. We are working closely with those local authorities that have indicated they wish to be involved as well as with the Local Government Associations.

Refugees: Syria

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Syrian refugees she expects to be housed in the UK by December 2015.

Richard Harrington: Holding answer received on 02 November 2015



The Government has committed to resettling 20,000 Syrian refugees in the lifetime of this Parliament. The Prime Minister has said that we want to see 1,000 refugees brought to the UK by Christmas.The Government is working closely with local authorities, international delivery partners and the voluntary sector, putting in place the plans and structures to deliver this and ensuring the system is scaled up in a way that protects the interests of all concerned.Details on numbers will be published in the regular quarterly immigration statistics.

Wildlife: Smuggling

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on ensuring that policy and border staff share information on the illegal wildlife trade with Interpol, Europol and World Customs Organisation.

James Brokenshire: Border Force are in regular contact with all the Organisations listed and regularly use their systems to communicate and share Intelligence on IWT to the global community .They are also represented on the EU Enforcement Working group that covers the Illegal wildlife trade.

Wildlife: Smuggling

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many seizures of illegal animal wildlife products have been made at UK ports of entry in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: The table below shows the number of seizures under CITES by Border Force (Convention in International Trade in Endangered Species).YearNumber of seizures under CITES201142220126652013*5692014*5122015 (Jan to June 2015)*490*These figures are published, and can be found on the GOV UK website.The figures quoted above are management information, which are subject to internal quality checks and may be subject to change.Link to website: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/border-force-transparency-data-august-2015

Refugees: Bristol

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many refugees the Government plans to resettle in the Bristol City Council area.

James Brokenshire: Resettlement under the government schemes is voluntary on the part of local authorities. We are grateful to those who take on this role and will continue to work in partnership with them.We do not disclose the details of where refugees are resettled upon their arrival in the UK under the Government resettlement schemes as this may undermine the privacy and recovery of this vulnerable group of people.

Asylum: Bristol

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers the Government plans to resettle in the Bristol City Council area.

James Brokenshire: Under the Immigration and Asylum act 1999, asylum seekers who need accommodation are housed in communities across the UK according to an agreed ratio, based on various regional factors. This is reviewed regularly. Within each region, UKVI has established working arrangements with local authorities in order to consider dispersal patterns and numbers. This includes consulting key corporate partners in the local area in order to assess regularly the impact of dispersal policy on a particular community.The COMPASS contract requires providers to liaise and consult with local authorities to ensure that accommodation provided to asylum seekers does not adversely affect local authority developments or community plans. Providers must also take into account the cultural compatibility of the environment; capacity of local health, education and other support services; concentration of accommodation of service users within particular areas; and the assessment of social tension risks.Following the expansion of the Government's vulnerable person resettlement scheme, we have established a cross-Government committee to oversee the resettlement of vulnerable refugees and we are working closely with them and local authorities about future resettlement.

Refugees: Bristol

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many refugees have been moved to the Bristol City Council area in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: We are unable to provide the number of refugees living in each Local Authority, as once refugee status has been granted the individual is not required to keep the Home Office updated on their current location.

Asylum: Bristol

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers have been moved to the Bristol City Council area in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office publish figures on the number of asylum applicants living in dispersed accommodation (under Section 95), by local authority, in the quarterly Immigration Statistics release. The latest release for April-June 2015 is available here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-april-to-june-2015 Figures on Section 95 support by local authority (including those in dispersed accommodation) are published in table as_16q, in volume 4 of the Asylum data tables:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/455576/asylum4-q2-2015-tabs.ods

Primates: Imports

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many primates were imported into the UK for scientific research purposes in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Mike Penning: Holding answer received on 03 November 2015



The Home Office have previously published data on the numbers of non-human primates imported and used for scientific research in PQs 222873 (05 Feb 2015), 182703 (20 Jan 2014), 80687 (22 Nov 2011) and 76262 (25 October 2011). The numbers of non-human primates imported into the UK for scientific research were: 2,071 in 2010; 1,771 in 2011; and, 1,557 in 2012. This data was gathered from information supplied by project licence holders when requesting permission to import.On 1 January 2013, the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 was amended to transpose European Directive 2010/63/EU on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes. The amended legislation has no requirement to request prior permission to import non-human primates acquired from overseas breeding centres. Therefore, the Home Office does not hold the information requested for 2013 and 2014. The published Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals in Great Britain provide information on the sources of non-human primates used in experimental procedures for 2013 and 2014.

UK Border Force: Greece

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many employees of Border Force are seconded to Kos and Lesbos; and what their (a) powers and (b) duties are.

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many employees of Border Force are seconded to Frontex; and in what locations such staff are deployed.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 03 November 2015



UK Border Force currently has twelve staff deployed to support Frontex joint operations in the Mediterranean, and one staff member seconded to Frontex Headquarters, Returns Sector, in Warsaw. Eight of the twelve staff support joint operation ‘Poseidon Sea’ in Greece: two in Kos, three in Lesbos, one in Leros, one in Samos and one in Chios; and four support Frontex joint operation ‘Triton’ in Italy: two in Trapani, one in Lampedusa and one in Syracuse.UK staff cannot exercise any powers on Frontex operations. Border Force staff debrief migrants to gather intelligence on their routing, modus operandi and any facilitators involved; Border Force staff also screen migrants to establish their identity, to aid the host member state with documentation and return of those migrants with no right of stay in Europe.

Immigrants: Travel Requirements

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many certificates of travel with a validity of 12 months or less were granted to people with indefinite leave to remain in each year since 2010.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason people with indefinite leave to remain have been granted certificates of travel with validity of less than five years.

James Brokenshire: Certificates of travel (COT) are normally issued for 5 years to individuals with indefinite leave to remain. COTs may be issued for a shorter duration where• There are Security or criminality reasons to do so• The applicant has lost or abused previous documents• The COT is being issued solely to facilitate the applicant travelling to their country of nationality to obtain a national passport.• There is an urgent short term need to travel, and the applicant’s embassy cannot process a passport application fast enough.The table below shows the number of COT valid for 12 months or less where the applicant has ILR for each year since 2010.This data only counts people who have submitted applications for ILR in country. It excludes people who have ILR on Asylum grounds. The data also excludes any people with an ILR grant which pre dates the Case Information Database.Year Number of Cases2010 502011 502012 152013 152014 35

Crime

Tom Pursglove: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many historic crimes will feature in this year's crime figures.

Mike Penning: The Office for National Statistics (ONS) are responsible for crime statistics. Any historical crime that is brought to the attention of and recorded by the police will be included in the quarterly statistics for the period it was recorded in.The Home Office (via the Home Office Data Hub) collects limited information on the date of offence for some crime types and some forces. For example, for sexual offences, the Home Office was able to supply data for the ONS to use in their quarterly Crime in England and Wales publications to highlight the impact of Operation Yewtree and the large number of historical offences that were reported to the police.The Home Office is also unable to provide prior information of statistics in upcoming publications.

Refugees

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will ensure that at least 1,000 refugees are resettled in the UK before Christmas 2015.

Richard Harrington: The Government has committed to resettling 20,000 Syrian Refugees in the lifetime of this Parliament. The Prime Minister has said that we want to see 1,000 brought to the UK by Christmas.The Government is working closely with local authorities; international delivery partners and the voluntary sector, putting in place the plans and structures to deliver this and ensuring the system is scaled up in a way that protects the interests of all concerned.Details on numbers will be published in the regular quarterly immigration statistics.

Extradition

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress her Department has made on (a) implementing the recommendations of the Second Report of the House of Lords Select Committee on Extradition Law, Session 2014-15, HL Paper 126 and (b) agreeing a memorandum of understanding with the US concerning the treatment of people extradited from the UK as recommended in paragraph 53, with particular regard to transfer, pre-trial detention and bail.

James Brokenshire: A Government response to the House of Lords Select Committee on Extradition Law was published as Command Paper (9106) on 20 July 2015. The Government agreed with a number of the Select Committee’s recommendations, but in regard to a memorandum of understanding with the US found that:“Experience has shown that the courts tend to consider issues on a case-by-case basis, and as such we do not consider that agreeing a ‘one size fits all’ Memorandum of Understanding with any country would be helpful as concerns assurances. It would not bind the courts and, in all likelihood, would only make it more difficult to obtain the individual assurances that would still be required for certain cases. As such, whilst the Government understands and sympathises with the intention behind this recommendation, it does not support it.”

Home Office: Stationery

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the value of stationery that has been (a) lost and (b) stolen from her Department in each of the last five fiscal years; and what the cost was of replacing such stationery.

Karen Bradley: This information is not available.

English Language: Scotland

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the Scottish Qualifications Authority on accreditation of its English for Speakers of other Languages qualifications.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 06 November 2015



Home Office officials held discussions with the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) in 2013 when the former English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) option for settlement and nationality was replaced with a general requirement for intermediate level English.On 27th June 2014, the Home Office wrote to the SQA detailing of the tender exercise for Secure English Language Testing (SELT) which included details of an open industry day on 18th July 2014 which any interested party was welcome to attend. SQA did not attend. On 23rd July 2014, the Home Office emailed SQA to invite a representative to a further stakeholder forum on 6th August 2014 but, despite several further attempts to make contact, SQA did not respond and did not attend the forum.

Refugees: Syria

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been identified for resettlement in the UK as part of the vulnerable Syrian refugee resettlement programme since 20 September 2015.

Richard Harrington: Holding answer received on 06 November 2015



UNHCR identifies and proposes Syrian refugees for the VPR scheme from among the whole of the registered refugee population in the region, over 4 million people. This includes people in formal refugee camps, informal settlements and host communities. Approximately 430,000 registered refugees meet UNHCR’s vulnerability criteria.We will not be giving a running commentary on how many people have been identified for resettlement in the UK. Not all referrals translate into arrivals for a variety of reasons. We therefore do not consider it would be appropriate to provide this figure.Notwithstanding this the Home Office is committed to publishing data on arrivals through the resettlement programme in an orderly way as part of the regular quarterly Immigration Statistics, in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics. The next set of figures will be in the quarterly release on 26 November 2015 and will cover the period July-September 2015. These numbers will be updated each quarter.

English Language: Scotland

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect on students in Orkney and Shetland of reducing the accredited English language courses available to students in the highlands and islands of Scotland.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 06 November 2015



The Home Office has not reduced accredited English language courses in the highlands and islands of Scotland, including Orkney & Shetland.Following a procurement exercise, the Home Office has reduced the number of test centres in the UK that are able to provide Secure English Language Testing for immigration purposes, but this should not affect the availability of English language courses in Scotland or in any other part of the UK.

Forced Marriage: Convictions

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many convictions there have been relating to forced marriage under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.

Karen Bradley: Holding answer received on 06 November 2015



We made forced marriage a criminal offence last year to better protect victims and send a clear message that this abhorrent practice is totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated in the UK.Data on convictions is not collated centrally. However, the first successful prosecution under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 was secured in June 2015, and the Crown Prosecution Service’s (CPS) most recent violence against women and girls report shows that the volume of forced marriage prosecutions completed in 2014-15 rose to 46 from 45 in 2013-14, the highest volume ever. 63% of those prosecutions were successful.In addition, to date, over 800 civil Forced Marriage Protection Orders have been made to prevent people from being forced into a marriage and to assist in repatriating victims.

Hertfordshire Constabulary: Income

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of its annual income has been held in reserve by Hertfordshire police in each of the last five years.

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of its annual income has been held in reserve by Lancashire Constabulary in each of the last five years.

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of its annual income has been held in reserve by Thames Valley Constabulary in each of the last five years.

Mike Penning: Holding answer received on 06 November 2015



It is up to Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) and Chief Constables to decide how to allocate their resources, including the efficient use of reserves, based on local priorities. The total amount of revenue funding received by each PCC (formerly Police Authorities) and the total amounts of usable reserves, taken from publically available force area accounts are included in the table below. This includes total core Government funding area from the Home Office, Legacy Council Tax Grants and locally raised precept income. It excludes specific grants such as the Innovation Fund and other locally raised income.Hertfordshire Police Authority/PCC reservesYearReserves £mTotal revenue funding £mReserves as % of government grant+precept31 Mar 201119.4197.49.8%31 Mar 201224.9191.513.0%31 Mar 201328.0189.714.8%31 Mar 201436.7185.219.8%31 Mar 201547.9181.126.5%Lancashire Police Authority/PCC reservesYearReserves £mTotal revenue funding £mReserves as % of government grant+precept31 Mar 201120.1285.67.0%31 Mar 201226.3273.59.6%31 Mar 201327.5273.510.1%31 Mar 201435.8266.013.4%31 Mar 201549.3258.919.1%  Thames Valley Police Authority/PCC reservesYearReserves £mTotal revenue funding £mReserves as % of government grant+precept31 Mar 201141.1395.010.4%31 Mar 201248.2383.412.6%31 Mar 201345.8382.212.0%31 Mar 201449.1375.913.1%31 Mar 201551.4369.713.9%

Refugees: Syria

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Syrian refugees arrived in the UK through the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation scheme in October 2015.

Richard Harrington: The refugees that we are bringing to the United Kingdom are very vulnerable people. Our prime concern is their safety and protection as they arrive in this country. We believe that one way to protect their privacy and ensure their recovery and integration is to limit the amount of information about them that we make publicly available. We want to ensure the understandable public interest in the scheme is not based on a running commentary on the numbers that have arrived.Notwithstanding this the Home Office is committed to publishing data in an orderly way as part of the regular quarterly Immigration Statistics, in line with the Code of Practice for Of-ficial Statistics. The next set of figures will be in the quarterly release on 26 November 2015 and will cover the period July-September 2015. These numbers will be updated each quarter.

Home Office: Correspondence

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many replies to constituent correspondence from hon. Members her Department sent by (a) email and (b) letter in each of the last three years; and what the cost of using each method was in each such year.

Karen Bradley: The systems used to manage correspondence received from hon. Members do not record whether the response has been sent by email or letter; we are therefore unable to provide the requested breakdown or associated costs.

Deportation: Appeals

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2015 to Question 11080, on Deportation: Appeals, how many of the 426 cases referred to have been heard in court.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Deportation: Appeals

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost to her Department has been of (a) deporting and (b) returning deported people following a successful appeal under the deport first, appeal later measures.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Slavery: Telephone Services

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what training and experience advisers who received calls to the NSPCC human trafficking and modern slavery helpline between July 2014 and June 2015 had; and what the cost to the public purse was of providing such training.

Karen Bradley: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Slavery: Telephone Services

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the nature of enquiries received by the NSPCC human trafficking and modern slavery helpline between July 2014 and June 2015; and how many such calls were from survivors of human trafficking.

Karen Bradley: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Slavery: Telephone Services

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of the referrals made by the NSPCC human trafficking and modern slavery helpline between July 2014 and June 2015 were made to the police.

Karen Bradley: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Slavery: Telephone Services

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of calls to the NSPCC human trafficking and modern slavery helpline between July 2014 and June 2015 that were referred to that helpline by (a) the police and (b) other agencies were referred back to those agencies.

Karen Bradley: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Slavery: Telephone Services

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what grant her Department made available to the NSPCC for running the modern slavery human trafficking helpline between July 2014 to June 2015.

Karen Bradley: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Animal Experiments: Licensing

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what procedures her Department has in place to ensure that researchers assessing the expected severity level of animal experiments when applying for project licences do so objectively and thoroughly.

Mike Penning: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Animal Experiments

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what procedures her Department has in place to assess at the conclusion of any animal experiment whether the severity level expected by researchers before the experiment corresponded to what the actual severity level was.

Mike Penning: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department of Health

Macular Degeneration

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much the NHS spent on treating age-related macular degeneration in each of the last three years.

Alistair Burt: From the data collected it is not possible to identify how much was spent specifically on treating patients with age-related macular degeneration.

Eyesight: Screening

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what arrangements are in place for assessing a patient's eye health on discharge from hospital.

Alistair Burt: Prior to hospital discharge every patient will have a discharge assessment which will look at their ongoing healthcare needs and in light of that an individual care plan will be established.These plans are formed in line with each individual hospital’s discharge policy, which will vary.

Glaucoma

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much the NHS spent on treating patients with glaucoma in each of the last three years.

Alistair Burt: Cost information is shown in the following table from reference costs, which are the average unit cost to National Health Service trusts and foundation trusts of providing defined services in a given financial year. The table shows the costs of a surgical procedure covering one episode of care under one consultant in an admitted patient or outpatient setting and does not include other elements of the patient pathway such as GP consultations or outpatient appointments. It is not possible to separately identify the costs of glaucoma in non-surgical appointments.Costs associated with glaucoma procedures, 2011/12 – 2013/14Healthcare Resource Group (HRG)ActivityNational average unit cost £Estimated total cost £ million2011/12Major Glaucoma Procedures2,248£1,440£3.2mIntermediate Glaucoma Procedures33,842£387£13.1mMinor Glaucoma Procedures17,194£293£5.0mTotal£21.3m2012/13Major Glaucoma Procedures, with CC Score 1+1,206£1,665£2.0mMajor Glaucoma Procedures, with CC Score 02,622£885£2.3mIntermediate Glaucoma Procedures, with CC Score 1+3,167£1,250£4.0mIntermediate Glaucoma Procedures, with CC Score 017,410£451£7.9mMinor Glaucoma Procedures, with CC Score 1+2,014£773£1.6mMinor Glaucoma Procedures, with CC Score 019,243£198£3.8mTotal£21.6m2013/14Major Glaucoma Procedures with CC Score 1+1,709£1,689£2.9mMajor Glaucoma Procedures with CC Score 03,129£884£2.8mIntermediate Glaucoma Procedures with CC Score 1+3,384£1,236£4.2mIntermediate Glaucoma Procedures with CC Score 09,297£772£7.2mMinor Glaucoma Procedures with CC Score 1+2,142£680£1.5mMinor Glaucoma Procedures with CC Score 024,688£181£4.5mTotal£23.1mSource: Reference costs, Department of HealthNotes:The HRG classification groups procedures into categories such as major, intermediate and minor, according to their complexity.Complication and comorbidity scores describe the illness severity and complexity of patients, and the additional resources required for their treatment.

Diabetes: Visual Impairment

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much the NHS spent on treating patients with diabetic retinopathy in each of the last three years.

Jane Ellison: We do not hold this information in the format requested.

Eyesight: Screening

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether standard patient health assessments by GPs include assessing eye health.

Alistair Burt: The Government recognises that regular sight tests are an important measure in preventing avoidable sight loss.Free National Health Service sight tests are available to many, including children, people aged 60 and over, people on benefits and those people at particular risk of developing eye disease.We do not determine what should be included in health checks or consultation between general practitioners (GPs) and their patients. This is for GPs to decide, taking into account the individual needs of patients.

Mental Health Services

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients were admitted to mental health hospitals outside of their home local authority area in (a) England and (b) London in each of the last five years.

Alistair Burt: Information on the number of patients who were admitted to mental health hospitals outside their home local authority area in England and London in each of the last five years is not available. However, information on the number of people in non-specialist mental health beds treated out of area between September 2014 and July 2015 is set out in the attached table: the number of people in non-specialist mental health beds, placed out of area at the end of the month, for England and London Providers, September 2014-July 2015. 



People in mental health beds- out of area 2014-15 
(Excel SpreadSheet, 41.32 KB)

Respiratory System: Diseases

Maggie Throup: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will request that NICE publishes its reasons for including a recommendation on the use of C-reactive protein testing for patients presenting with lower respiratory tract infection in primary care in its guidance on pneumonia but not in its pneumonia draft quality statement.

George Freeman: The prioritisation of topics for inclusion in quality standards is a matter for the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). NICE has advised that its Quality Standards Advisory Committee considered the inclusion of a quality statement on the use of C-reactive protein testing for patients presenting with lower respiratory tract infection in primary care in its draft quality standard on pneumonia, but felt that this was not an area to be prioritised.The minutes of Quality Standards Advisory Committee meetings are published on NICE’s website at:www.nice.org.uk/get-involved/meetings-in-public/quality-standards-advisory-committee

Macular Degeneration

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of people likely to have age-related macular degeneration in 2050.

Alistair Burt: The Department has made no estimate of the number of people likely to have age-related macular degeneration in 2050.

Respiratory System: Diseases

Maggie Throup: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will assess the (a) potential effect on the number of antibiotic and (b) potential change in annual prescription and dispensing costs prescriptions of using C-reactive protein testing for patients presenting with respiratory tract infections in primary care.

George Freeman: We have no plans to do so.The UK Government is committed to tackling antimicrobial resistance. The UK Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy, published in September 2013, proposed strong, cross-government action to manage this problem. The UK strategy recognises the central part diagnostics, like C-reactive protein tests, play in getting the right antibiotic drug to the right patient at the right time. A working group is actively looking at what can be done to improve diagnostic services.

Eyesight: Medical Treatments

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of trends in the costs of treating sight loss and eye health problems.

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much the NHS spent tackling the effects of sight loss in each of the last three years.

Alistair Burt: No specific assessment has been made of the trends in the cost of treating sight loss and eye health problems.However, the table below shows expenditure for ‘problems of vision’ for primary care trusts (PCTs) for 2011-12 and 2012-13 and for clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) for 2013-14.Expenditure on problems of vision, 2011-12 to 2013-14CommissionerYearTotal £ billionPCTs2011-122.26PCTs2012-132.30CCGs2013/141.61Note: 1 This figure does not include services directly commissioned by NHS England, such as primary eye care services. NHS England is currently reviewing expenditure data on their directly commissioned services.

Cerebral Palsy

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the reasons are for the time taken to inform families involved in Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy procedures that funding for those procedures will cease.

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reasons funding for Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy is due to cease in March 2016.

Jane Ellison: NHS England has commissioned Selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) procedures as part of its Commissioning through Evaluation (CtE) programme.CtE schemes run in areas where the current evidence base on clinical and cost effectiveness of a particular treatment is insufficient to support routine funding, and where further research is unlikely to be forthcoming. In these circumstances, NHS England identifies funding for a CtE scheme to gather and support a review of the national clinical commissioning policy position. Each CtE scheme is funded on a time-limited basis, in just a small number of selected participating centres across England, with strict patient selection criteria.The CtE programme is supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, which supports NHS England to identify the total number of patients that need to be treated under the scheme to answer the evaluation questions agreed. Schemes stop once the total planned number of patients has been treated and the data analysis can be concluded. In the case of the SDR scheme it is likely that the last patients will be treated by spring 2016.The information provided directly by NHS England to stakeholders and participating centres in the SDR scheme has been consistently clear about the time limited nature of CtE and that the funding did not present a change to the current commissioning position of the treatment not being routinely funded by the NHS.NHS England will continue to work closely with participating centres to ensure that messages are as clear as possible to families who may have wished to consider this treatment option.

Autism: Children

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of funding special guide dogs for children with autism.

Alistair Burt: There has been no assessment made centrally of this; it would be for individual charities to explore the potential for assistance dogs to support children and young people with autism.

Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme

Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to page 21 of his Department's Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme, published in December 2013, when he plans to publish information on the comparative use of medicines in the NHS referred to in that document; by which channels he plans that information to be published; what plans he has to communicate that information proactively through the NHS; whether he intends to communicate that information to patients; and if he will make a statement.

Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to page 21 of his Department's Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme, published in December 2013, when he plans to refresh the annual indicators arising from the Pharmaceutical Industry Competitiveness Taskforce referred to in that document; if he will make it his policy to include (a) medicines expenditure per head of population, (b) market sales as a percentage of GDP and (c) average pricing and reimbursement delays in the set of those indicators; and if he will make a statement.

George Freeman: The Life Science Competitiveness Indicators were published for the first time in March 2015 and are available to all. The publication can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/418305/BIS-15-249-life-science-competitiveness-indicators.pdfThe Competitiveness Indicators were the product of extensive collaboration with colleagues from across the life science sector, including from industry. In developing the Indicators, issues such as the availability and reliability of data, the potential for international comparisons and relevance to United Kingdom competitiveness in life sciences were considered in establishing which measures to include.We plan to publish the 2016 Life Science Competitiveness Indicators in March 2016. Our intention is to maintain as much consistency in content as possible, in order to facilitate analysis of progress over time, which can in turn inform policy development.

Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme

Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what payments have been made to the devolved administrations under the 2014 Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme to date; on which date each such payment was made; what methodology is used to calculate the level of such payments; and if he will make a statement.

George Freeman: The Government recognises that the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme (PPRS) payments that companies make under the 2014 scheme in respect of the United Kingdom need to be allocated to each of the devolved administrations in a fair way.The PPRS payments that companies make under the scheme in respect of the UK are allocated to each of the four countries on an agreed basis each year. Apportionment is not covered by the terms of the PPRS. However, the four countries agreed the current method for apportioning income received under the 2014 PPRS which is based on primary care data for spend on licensed branded medicines, as the most consistent data set available across the UK. Income is apportioned using prescribing data for the same period as the income relates.The attached table includes the quarterly PPRS income paid to Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales from Q1 2014 to Q2 2015. It should be noted that as well as PPRS payments this income also includes historic cash payments made by companies that were members of the 2009 PPRS.As requested, the following table contains information regarding the dates PPRS payments were made to the devolved administrations:PPRS PaymentHistoric Cash Payment2014 Q121 August 201410 October 20142014 Q2 and Q320 February 201520 February 20152014 Q48 April 20158 April 20152015 Q13 July 201524 July 20152015 Q213 October 201516 October 2015



PPRS paid to Scotland, NI & Wales Q1 2014-Q2 2015
(Word Document, 14.87 KB)

Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme

Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to page 21 of the Pharmaceutical Price Regulations Scheme, what steps he is taking to encourage academic health science networks to translate research into practice.

George Freeman: Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs) have been set up to support local health economies to improve health outcomes in their communities, and maximise the National Health Service’s contribution to economic growth by enabling change through collaboration, and the spread of innovation and best practice. To do this, they bring together local NHS partners, academia and industry by acting as catalysts, brokers, coordinators, sponsors and knowledge-sharers.Speeding up adoption of innovation into practice to improve clinical outcomes and patient experience has been one of the four core contractual objectives for AHSN since their establishment in 2013. As well as directly supporting partners to diffuse specific innovations and best practice, AHSNs also work to create an infrastructure and environment that enables the development, identification and adoption of innovation. This work encompasses the establishment of partnerships and networking opportunities, as well as investment in infrastructure.AHSNs are supporting over 150 active programmes and projects across a range of clinical and cross-cutting themes. These have been selected in response to the priorities of their local populations and health economies. In addition to their individual programmes, AHSNs also work collectively to support national priorities which include a Medicine’s Optimisation programme. AHSNs are working with NHS England and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry among others to promote best practice that ensures patients, the public and society more broadly get the best outcomes from medicines. This includes programmes to encourage access to innovative medicines and to ensure safer use of medicines.AHSNs have taken a range of approaches in delivering their objectives. Case studies and exemplars of some their work can be found in the resources section of the AHSNs Network website: www.ahsnnetwork.com

NHS: Innovation

Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to publicise the innovation scorecard to (a) NHS organisations and (b) members of the public.

George Freeman: The Innovation Scorecard supports appropriate access to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) positively appraised products (medicines, devices and diagnostics), by giving health and care commissioners and professionals information they can use to identify and act on unwarranted variation in patient access to these treatments. It covers the uptake of medicines approved by NICE since 2011 and medical technologies.It is published quarterly by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) and is available to all. A calendar of future publications is available on the HSCIC website, in accordance with the UK Statistics Authority Code of Practice for Official Statistics. The most recent version of the publication can be found here:http://www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB18515The Department is working very closely with the HSCIC, NHS England and others to extend coverage of the Scorecard and make it more user-friendly, to maximise its benefit for clinicians, patients and others.Notification of each publication is made via a range of clinical and NHS networks, and via the regional medical directors. The media team at the HSCIC report all publications to national media.

Mental Health Services: Medical Records

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, on how many occasions patients were refused access to their mental health records in 2014.

Alistair Burt: This information is not held centrally.

Universal Credit

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether NHS charges claim forms include a box for universal credit.

Alistair Burt: Some NHS Help with Health Costs claim forms, for example HC5 refund claim forms, have been amended to include a specific tick box to enable Universal Credit recipients to claim entitlement.Form HC1 (NHS Low Income Scheme application form) has been amended to include a sentence about Universal Credit, to advise those applying that until 31 October 2015, anyone in receipt of Universal Credit does not need to complete the form, as they will already be entitled to Help with Health Costs.Other forms, including: NHS prescription forms (FP10); dental treatment claim forms (FP17) and claims for NHS funded sight tests (GOS 1) and for vouchers for glasses or contact lenses (GOS 3) will be amended to include a Universal Credit box in due course.A patient can make a claim for entitlement by ticking the “gets income based Jobseekers Allowance” on relevant forms. Guidance for both the public and healthcare practitioners (such as pharmacists, dentist and opticians) has been included on NHS Choices with links from the Universal Credit webpages on Gov.uk.

NHS: Staff

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 19 October 2015 to Question 11306, what the cost of commissioning NHS Employers to help trusts improve staff mental health and wellbeing was in the last year for which figures are available.

Ben Gummer: The Department does not collect information on the cost of commissioning individual work programmes or projects from NHS Employers. Each year, the Department agrees a contract price for the work it commissions from them, which NHS Employers then allocate across their teams.The contract price the Department agreed with NHS Employers for 2014-15, the latest full year figure available, which included the work helping trusts to improve staff mental health and wellbeing, was £8,664,876.

Midwives: Training

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 23 October 2015 to Question 12672, how many specialist midwives have been trained since November 2013.

Ben Gummer: This information is not collected centrally.Specialist training is offered to midwives through Continued Professional Development (CPD). It is the responsibility of individual employers to ensure that their staff are supported to access further training via CPD so that their knowledge and skills remains up to date to deliver the best patient care and meet the changing needs of patients and services.

Pregnant Women: Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much of the £15 million new funding allocated to perinatal mental health for 2015-16 has been spent to date; and what that funding has been spent on.

Alistair Burt: NHS England will spend £1 million on strengthening clinical networks across the country to drive forward change and they have also commissioned the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health to set up an Expert Reference Group to provide an extensive package of national analytical and expert clinical advice to support the delivery of the perinatal mental health programme at a cost of £300,000.Work is underway on how they spend the rest of the money. This work has yet to be completed but decisions will be made by Christmas.

Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2015 to Question 11305, if he will ask NICE to undertake a technical appraisal of psychological therapies.

George Freeman: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has issued guidelines recommending the use of psychological therapies in the treatment of a number of conditions and there are no plans to ask NICE to undertake a technology appraisal of psychological therapies.Details of NICE guidelines available can be found at: www.nice.org.uk/Guidance.

Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to publish the report of the Mental Health Taskforce commissioned by NHS England.

Alistair Burt: The report of the independent Mental Health Taskforce is due to be published by NHS England by the end of the calendar year.

Defibrillators

Mims Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many public access defibrillators there are in (a) England and Wales and (b) public buildings in England.

Jane Ellison: This information is not collected centrally.Following our 2015 Budget commitment on defibrillators, we have awarded the British Heart Foundation £1 million to make public access defibrillators and coronary pulmonary resuscitation training more widely available in communities across England.The provision of defibrillators in Wales is a matter for the Welsh Government.

Junior Doctors: Working Hours

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his contribution of 28 October 2015, Official Report, column 429, on junior doctors hours, if he will publish the evidential basis for the proposition that hospitals are not rostering enough junior doctors at weekends.

Ben Gummer: NHS Employers’ evidence to the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration – “Reform of national contracts for consultant doctors and doctors and dentists in training” [1]-  published in December 2014, included a profile of how the hours worked by doctors in training were spread across the week.We have evidence that hospital leaders consider the junior doctors’ contract to be a significant barrier to delivering more seven-day services. NHS Providers’ written evidence to the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration (DDRB) on contract reform for consultants and doctors and dentists in training[2] stated that the junior doctor contract is still a significant source of barriers to seven day working and reform of the junior doctor contract is also required to support trusts to deliver more seven-day services. In particular, the pay banding system for junior doctors needs to be reviewed. There were concerns from employers that the banding system is too complicated, can create “perverse incentives” for junior doctors, and means that providing more seven-day services is unaffordable, since more junior doctors would be working outside core hours and receive premiums under the current banding system. NHS Providers also believe that more hours in a day and more days of the week need to be defined as core hours, as the current arrangement does not support the delivery of more seven-day services or reflect the needs and expectations of today’s patients. Professor Sir Bruce Keogh has also said that premium pay rates are hindering efforts to put services on a seven-day footing.[1] http://www.nhsemployers.org/your-workforce/pay-and-reward/pay/medical-pay/ddrb-evidence---in-detail/consultants-and-junior-doctors-contract-reform-submission-of-evidence-to-the-ddrb[2] http://www.nhsproviders.org/resource-library/written-evidence-ddrb-special-remit/

Junior Doctors

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much his Department spent on employing junior doctors in each of the last five years; and how many junior doctors were employed in each of those years.

Ben Gummer: The figures are:Financial yearSubstantive junior doctor paybillAverage number of full-time-equivalent junior doctors over the year2014/15£3.1 billon53,0002013/14£3 billion52,5002012/13£3 billion52,0002011/12£3 billion51,5002010/11£3 billion51,000

Junior Doctors: Working Hours

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of junior doctors who have opted out of the European Working Time Directive.

Ben Gummer: The Department has not made any estimate of the number of junior doctors who have opted out of the European Working Directive.

Junior Doctors: Working Hours

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what representations he has received about the level of junior doctor cover at weekends.

Ben Gummer: We have evidence that hospital leaders consider the junior doctors’ contract to be a significant barrier to delivering more seven-day services. NHS Providers’ written evidence to the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration (DDRB) on contract reform for consultants and doctors and dentists in training[1] stated that the junior doctor contract is still a significant source of barriers to seven day working and reform of the junior doctor contract is also required to support trusts to deliver more seven-day services. In particular, the pay banding system for junior doctors needs to be reviewed. There were concerns from employers that the banding system is too complicated, can create “perverse incentives” for junior doctors, and means that providing more seven-day services is unaffordable, since more junior doctors would be working outside core hours and receive premiums under the current banding system. NHS Providers also believe that more hours in a day and more days of the week need to be defined as core hours, as the current arrangement does not support the delivery of more seven-day services or reflect the needs and expectations of today’s patients. Professor Sir Bruce Keogh has also said that premium pay rates are hindering efforts to put services on a seven-day footing.   [1]http://www.nhsproviders.org/resource-library/written-evidence-ddrb-special-remit/

NHS: Standards

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will include commitments on the quality and provision of urgent care in his next annual Mandate to NHS England.

George Freeman: The Government is currently consulting on how we set the next mandate to NHS England. The consultation document can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/472043/final_consultation_doc.pdfThe consultation document proposes that the new mandate will be based on the priorities that Government believes are central to delivering the changes needed to ensure that free healthcare is always there whenever people need it most. It states that, as part of achieving the Government’s vision for a 7-day National Health Service, we want everyone to have effective 24/7 access to urgent care.The consultation closes on 23 November, and the final mandate will be published in the light of responses and taking account of the outcome of the Spending Review.

Care Homes: Minimum Wage

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of the planned increase in the national minimum wage on the level of provision of care homes.

Alistair Burt: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 21 October 2015 to Question 11609.

South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust: NHS 111

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people making telephone calls to NHS 111 that were categorised as life threatening in the South East Coast NHS Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust area waited longer than eight minutes for a response during the project the Trust ran on how emergency calls were dealt with in winter 2014-15.

Jane Ellison: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 5 November 2015 to Question 14422The requested information is not held by the Department. However, a report published by NHS England on 5 November 2015 states that approximately 26,000 calls were transferred from NHS 111 for a NHS 999 ambulance dispatch during the duration of the pilot project.

Hospitals: Parking

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of car parking facilities at NHS hospitals; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) affordability for and (b) effect on (i) patients and (ii) carers of hospital car parking; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: Decisions on hospital car parking, including charging, are taken locally by National Health Service foundation trusts and NHS trusts.On 23 August, 2014, the Department published the NHS patient, visitor and staff car parking principles, which set out a nationally consistent approach for hospitals to take to car parking and concessionary charges. This was updated in October 2015 to make explicit reference to carers as a group who should receive concessions. The principles are available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-patient-visitor-and-staff-car-parking-principlesTo help NHS organisations deliver the above principles the Department published NHS Car Parking Management: Environment and Sustainability (HTM 07-03) on 25 March 2015. This guidance is available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-car-parking-management-htm-07-03Both documents make it clear that NHS organisations should work with patients, staff, visitors, local authorities and public transport providers when planning their parking provision.

Carers

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people caring full-time for a relative; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: “Caring full-time for a relative” is not a term that is defined in data collections and so the data is not collected centrally.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Further Education

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what process his Department has for informing hon. Members of the announcement of area-based reviews of post-16 education and training institutions affecting their constituencies.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, for what reasons school sixth forms will not be included in the Government's review of post-16 education and training institutions.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of conducting an area-based review of post-16 education and training institutions in (a) Tees Valley, (b) Birmingham and Solihull, (c) Greater Manchester, (d) Sheffield City Region, (e) Sussex Coast, (f) Solent and (g) West Yorkshire.

Nick Boles: The Joint Area Review Delivery Unit supporting the area reviews will arrange for Hon. Members to receive a letter informing them when a review is being launched in any part of their constituency, which will also invite them to give their views.Area reviews of post-16 education and training institutions are predominantly focused on general further education and sixth form colleges in order to ensure there is a high quality and financially resilient set of colleges in each area of England. Schools with sixth forms can opt in to a review if they wish to and the review’s local steering group agrees.Each review will conduct a comprehensive analysis of the current post-16 provision in the area which will include the offer made by schools with sixth forms. Regional Schools Commissioners will sit on local area review steering groups and will identify any issues with school sixth form provision, particularly academy and free school sixth forms and University Technical Colleges, and feed these into the reviews. We expect Regional Schools Commissioners to take account of the analysis from area reviews in any decisions they make about future provision.The area reviews are aimed at delivering a skills system that meets the economic and educational needs of areas whilst also ensuring the long term sustainability of colleges to support productivity. Existing government resources are being reprioritised to support delivery of the area reviews.

Apprentices

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many 19 to 24 year olds who already had a Level 3 qualification on the regulated qualifications framework started a Level 2 apprenticeship framework in 2013-14.

Nick Boles: Information on 19 to 24 years olds who completed a Level 3 qualification on the Regulated Qualifications Framework prior to starting a Level 2 Apprenticeship in 2013/14 is not available.

Defence Equipment: Iron and Steel

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions his Department has had with the Ministry of Defence on the potential implications of the closure of steel plants in the UK for the UK defence industry and infrastructure.

Anna Soubry: This Department is regularly in contact with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) about the impact of industrial issues on the UK defence industry and supply chain, such as the challenges facing the steel industry. Any implications for defence procurement will also be considered by the steel procurement working group which was set up with cross-departmental representation (including MoD) following the Steel Summit.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Trade Unions

Tom Pursglove: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many civil servants in his Department are members of trades unions; how much working hours facility time is claimed by each such civil servant; and what the cost of that facility time is to his Department.

Joseph Johnson: The Department does not hold information on how many civil servants are members of Trade Unions. The Cabinet Office publishes data relating to Civil Service facility time on a quarterly basis. The latest data is Quarter 4, 2014 at and is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/trade-union-facility-time.The Department collects this information on a quarterly basis. The last period for which we have data is Quarter 2 of 2015, 1 April – 30 June 2015. During this period, the 33 TU reps claimed a total of 913 hours of facility time at a cost of £18,933.

ACAS: Telephone Services

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment has been made of the effect of incorporating the function of the Pay and Work Rights Helpline into ACAS on outcomes for workers.

Nick Boles: From 1 April 2015, the ACAS Helpline is, in addition to its usual services, answering queries previously handled by the Pay and Work rights Helpline. This provides a one stop shop for those seeking advice and guidance on employment rights. Where appropriate, ACAS passes on callers through a real time transfer of the call to the relevant enforcement body for them to take any further follow up action, including any specific complaints.No formal assessment has been made at this time of the outcomes for workers. ACAS continues to work closely with the four enforcement bodies to ensure the service is bedding in effectively and delivering the right outcomes for the public.

Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate: Finance

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the annual budget for the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate was in 2011-12.

Nick Boles: The budget for the Employment Agency Standards inspectorate for 2011-12 was £776,643.

Aviation: Exhaust Emissions

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of progress by the Aerospace Technology Institute on reaching its goal of reducing fuel emissions by 20 per cent over the next 20 years.

Anna Soubry: The Government is working through the Aerospace Growth Partnership and the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) to promote UK growth by supporting industry to develop technologies for future aircraft.These will need to meet demanding environmental and societal requirements, and the ATI supports the targets for reducing noise and emissions set out by the Advisory Council for Aviation Research and Innovation in Europe (ACARE).These targets include reductions by 2050 in fuel burn of 75%, a reduction of Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) emissions of 90% and a reduction in perceived noise of 65% based on a year 2000 baseline.To date, over 100 ATI projects, worth a total of over £1bn, have been approved.The majority of these are focused on technologies for more efficient and environmentally friendly aircraft.

Green Investment Bank: Privatisation

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what plans the Government has for potential financial proceeds from the privatisation of the Green Investment Bank.

Anna Soubry: The government has put paying down our debt while investing in infrastructure at the heart of our long term economic plan. The sale proceeds will therefore help us deliver on both those objectives.

Green Investment Bank: Privatisation

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much the Government intends to raise from privatisation of the Green Investment Bank.

Anna Soubry: Proceeds will depend on the size of stake sold and the outcome of negotiations with investors about the value of the company. We will need to be satisfied any transaction represents value for money for the taxpayer.

Further Education: Finance

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much centrally-provided capital funding has been provided to each further education college in each of the last five years.

Nick Boles: The amount of centrally-provided capital funding provided to each further education college in each of the last five years is shown in the attached table.



Table of capital funding to FE colleges
(Excel SpreadSheet, 87 KB)

Eyesight: Diseases

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the proportion of medical research spending which is spent on eye disease.

Joseph Johnson: The UK Clinical Health Research Analysis (2015) shows that, in 2014, the combined government spend on medical research into eye disease, development and function was £15.1m, or 1.2% of public funding on health research. The report is available at http://www.hrcsonline.net/pages/uk-health-research-analysis-2014 (page 95).The Research Councils account for approximately half of this expenditure and support research in response to proposals from the academic community. They welcome high quality applications for support into any aspect of human health which are judged in open competition with other demands on funding. Awards are made according to their scientific quality and importance to human health.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Stationery

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the value of stationery that has been (a) lost and (b) stolen from his Department in each of the last five fiscal years; and what the cost was of replacing such stationery.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) does not make estimates on the amount of lost or stolen stationery so unfortunately there is no data available that would answer this question. However all BIS staff are aware of Departmental regulations on stationery usage and there is no evidence that these regulations are not being adhered to by BIS staff.

Students: Loans

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent estimate he has made of the predicted default rate of university maintenance loans.

Joseph Johnson: Student loans are not like a bank loan or credit card. Repayments do not have to made if the borrower’s income is below £21k. There is, therefore, no default rate as such, but a borrower who moves overseas and fails to repay even though they are earning over the threshold would be in default.Maintenance loans are either repaid during the loan term, or written off after 30 years, or if the borrower dies or becomes permanently unable to work as a result of disability. Provision for the cost of future write offs is made in BIS accounts each year. This is known as the RAB charge.

Economic Situation

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the contribution of (a) crowdfunding businesses, (b) peer-to-peer lending businesses and (c) big data businesses to the UK economy.

Anna Soubry: The state of equity investment in small businesses was assessed by the British Business Bank in March this year. Their report shows an overall increase in equity investment to small firms in each of the past four years, with both the number of deals and the total amount invested showing a clear upward trend. The contribution from crowdfunding has grown strongly since 2012. By the third quarter of 2014, deal numbers exceeded those of private equity, accounting for almost one-third of seed funding deals in the first half of 2014.The Peer-to-Peer Finance Association publishes quarterly performance data, which show net new lending to small businesses of £91m in Q3 2015. According to NESTA, peer-to-peer lending in the UK grew at a rate of 250% annually between 2012 and 2014. The growth of the UK peer-to-peer lending sector has been facilitated by a responsive and flexible regulatory regime that recognises the importance of a competitive and diverse market for business finance.The Centre for Economics and Business Research estimates that the big data market could benefit the UK economy by up to £216 billion between 2012 and 2017. Research by NESTA has also found that UK companies making greater use of online customer data are up to 13% more productive than their peers.

Retail Trade: Sustainable Development

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to encourage retailers to source their products from ethical and sustainable sources; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: The Department encourages more responsible supply chain management by businesses, including retailers, by requiring companies to be more transparent about their business operations. UK listed companies are required to report on social and environmental matters where necessary for an understanding of their business.More widely, the Government supports the Ethical Trading Initiative which helps member companies realise their commitment to continuous improvement in ethical sourcing.We are also providing £18 million over six years to help Fairtrade International have a greater impact in their work and strengthen the global Fairtrade system.The Government also supports work by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) on voluntary agreements such as the Sustainable Clothing Action Plan which encourages sustainability of clothing across the product life cycle including, for example, use of lower impact fibres. In addition, Government co-ordinates work on the UK statement on the sustainable production of palm oil, working with retailers and others towards achieving 100% sourcing of credibly certified sustainable palm oil in the UK.In October the transparency in supply chains provision (section 54) of the Modern Slavery Act came into force.

Degrees

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how the introduction of a faster route to degree-awarding powers set out in the HM Treasury report, Fixing the foundations: Creating a more prosperous nation, published in July 2015, will improve UK productivity.

Joseph Johnson: Opening up the higher education sector to new high quality providers will encourage diversity and competition to help drive up the quality of teaching and, in turn, the contribution of graduates to the economy. Further details on these proposals are set out in my Department’s Green Paper “Fulfilling our Potential: Teaching Excellence, Social Mobility and Student Choice” published on 6 November.

Adult Education: Finance

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what plans the Government has to move away from the funding per qualification model for adult learners as set out in the HM Treasury report, Fixing the foundations: Creating a more prosperous nation, published in July 2015; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Boles: Over time the further education funding system has become complicated, with a lengthy set of rules about who and what can be funded. We plan to significantly simplify this funding system and at the same time increase local influence over the skills system so funding can be used to best meet local economic need. A key part of this simplification is to decouple funding and qualifications, freeing up providers and in time local commissioners to deliver the learning required to meet the skill needs of local economies and to maximise the benefit to local communities. We will include more detail on this in the Skills Funding Letter for 2016-17.

Sahaviriya Steel Industries UK: Redcar

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what due diligence was undertaken by his Department prior to the purchase of the Redcar coke ovens and blast furnace.

Anna Soubry: The purchase of the Redcar coke ovens and blast furnace was a commercial transaction between SSI and Tata Steel, both privately owned companies.

Ministry of Defence

NATO

Martin John Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what contribution his Department has made, excluding investment in Trident, to the NATO (a) civil budget, (b) military budget and (c) Security Investment Programme in each of the last three years.

Michael Fallon: The amount contributed by the Ministry of Defence to NATO’s Military Budget and the NATO Security Investment Programme (NSIP) in each of the last three financial years is as follows:Financial YearMilitary BudgetNSIP£ million£ million2014-1582.05047.2612013-14109.74153.2872012-13123.40845.975Both the Military Budget and NSIP amounts include UK contribution to NATO Operations and Missions. The contribution to both funding streams is based on the agreed NATO cost share for the UK of 10.479%.The UK contribution to the NATO Civil Budget is funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Armed Forces

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's (a) 2015 and (b) 2020 liability baseline is for service personnel for each top level budget.

Michael Fallon: The liability baseline for September 2015 and the predicted liability baseline for April 2020 are shown in the attached tables. This represents the implementation of decisions made in the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2010 and the three Month Exercise.



14253 - Liability Baselines
(Word Document, 20.85 KB)

Armed Forces

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will place in the Library the most recent quarterly assessment of the Force Elements at Readiness.

Penny Mordaunt: I am withholding the most recent quarterly assessment of the UK's Force Elements at readiness as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

Ministry of Defence: Stationery

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the value of stationery that has been (a) lost and (b) stolen from his Department in each of the last five fiscal years; and what the cost was of replacing such stationery.

Mark Lancaster: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.The Ministry of Defence takes theft seriously and works hard to detect and deter it. There are robust processes in place to raise awareness of the need for vigilance in all aspects of security.

Air Force: Training

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many service personnel who took part in the Seedcorn Initiative from 2011 to 2015 and are still currently serving were based on 1 November 2015 in (a) the UK, (b) the US and (c) elsewhere.

Penny Mordaunt: Thirty Six Service personnel have taken part in the Seedcorn Initiative, and they are all still serving. The table below shows their locations on 1 November 2015.United Kingdom4United States22New Zealand4Australia2Canada3Iraq1

Defence Equipment: Iron and Steel

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the licensing agreement is between his Department and Tata Steel for the production of super bainite steel; what the potential uses are of that steel in military platforms; whether super bainite is available outside the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence has licensed Tata Steel with an exclusive right to manufacture Super Bainite Steel in the United Kingdom and Europe and to export it globally.Opportunities for use on a range of military platforms are being investigated.

Defence Equipment: Spare Parts

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the number of spare parts his Department has for equipment no longer in use; and what steps his Department has taken to ensure that spare parts for such equipment are not held in storage.

Mr Philip Dunne: Since the introduction of the Defence Equipment and Support Inventory Management Strategy (IMS) in 2012 the level of obsolete stock held has substantially reduced; currently, items identified as obsolete represent less than 0.2 per cent of the total value of inventory held by the Ministry of Defence. As at 1 April 2015 the IMS has achieved an overall stock reduction of £8.7 billion against a strategic target of £9.5 billion set for 31 March 2016. We are also working with industry to optimise inventory further and reduce the logistics footprint, while supporting operations and maintaining availability to the Front-line Commands.

Armed Forces Independence Payment

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many former service personnel are in receipt of Armed Forces Independence Payments.

Mark Lancaster: As at 31 October 2015, there were 869 Service and former Service personnel in receipt of Armed Forces Independence Payments.

Hercules Aircraft

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 7 September 2015 to Question 8120, what the sensor capability is of the C-130 Hercules; and what the full extent is of its search and rescue resources.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Hercules C-130 aircraft is fitted with radar which can be used to locate vessels in the water. Night vision goggles allow aircrew to conduct visual searches at night. The aircraft is able to provide situational awareness of shipping in the area by interrogating maritime transponder transmissions.The Hercules C-130 is also able to drop air sea rescue apparatus containing life-rafts and survival equipment.

Rescue Services: North Atlantic Ocean

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 7 September 2015 to Question 8120, what the range is of the RAF Sea King helicopter resource in its coverage of Atlantic waters.

Mr Philip Dunne: The operational range of RAF Sea King helicopters is some 210-240 nautical miles.

Early Warning Systems

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 7 September 2015 to Question 8118, what the Atlantic coverage is of the Sentry airbourne warning MK1 aircraft.

Mr Philip Dunne: The E-3D Sentry has a range of some 5,000 nautical miles with a mission endurance of some 11 hours. Both can be extended by air-to-air refuelling.

War Pensions

Mims Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people are in receipt of a war widow or widower pension.

Mark Lancaster: As at 31 March 2015, the latest date for which data was available, the number of people in receipt of a War Widow or Widower Pension was 20,535.

Trident: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the number of jobs in Warrington which are (a) dependent on and (b) directly related to Britain continuing to maintain an at-sea nuclear deterrent; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence no longer compiles national or regional defence industry employment statistics as they do not directly support policy-making or operations.

Armed Forces: Deployment

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 7 September 2015 to Question 8364, (a) how many and (b) in which countries British military personnel were embedded in (i) each of the last five years and (ii) 2015 to date.

Penny Mordaunt: As my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Defence said in response to your question 8364 on 7 September 2015: given the routine nature of embedding, this information has not been coordinated centrally. The Ministry of Defence is in the process of compiling data on UK personnel embedded with other nations' armed forces, who are deployed on the operations together with those who work on operations in deployed coalition or single nation headquarters roles. I intend to update the House after this process is complete.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Olympic Games 2012: Council Tax

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much the London Olympic council tax precept (a) has raised in each year of its existence and (b) is predicted to raise in the remaining years of its existence.

Mr Marcus Jones: Holding answer received on 06 November 2015



The information requested is not held centrally.

Bed and Breakfast Accommodation

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many families with children living in bed and breakfast have been so accommodated for more than six weeks; and how many families with children were living in bed and breakfast accommodation in (a) each local authority in the East Midlands and (b) England in each year since 2010.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Travellers: Caravan Sites

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his policy to advise local authorities, under Section 62 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, which powers are available to remove illegal traveller camps without recourse to the courts.

Brandon Lewis: In March 2015 the Government published a summary of the enforcement powers that enable the police and local councils to remove unauthorised encampments. This includes the powers under sections 61-62 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 which give the police discretionary powers to direct trespassers to leave land and remove any property or vehicles they have with them. The Government sent the summary of powers document to all Council Leaders, Police Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners in England and it is published on the Government's website at:www.gov.uk/government/publications/dealing-with-illegal-and-unauthorised-encampments

Social Rented Housing

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will provide financial assistance to councils to enable them to acquire new social housing to replace properties bought through the Right to Buy policy.

Brandon Lewis: The 2012 Reinvigorated Right to Buy gave councils, for the first time, the ability to use additional receipts from Right to Buy sales to provide new affordable homes. Councils have up to three years to start building and if these receipts are not used within this timeframe they must be returned to the Homes and Communities Agency (or to the Greater London Authority in London), who will issue the funding as grant to provide new affordable housing.We urge councils to progress their building plans in order to help provide much needed affordable housing for their local communities.

Housing

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on job numbers in councils and housing associations of the measures contained in the Housing and Planning Bill.

Brandon Lewis: The Government set out its assessment of the impacts of the policies in the Housing and planning Bill on 22 October. A link to the impact assessment is at: http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2015-16/housingandplanning/documents.html.This document will be updated as the Bill progresses through Parliament.

Social Rented Housing: Construction

Marie Rimmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to encourage the building of homes for social rent.

Brandon Lewis: We have already allocated £1 billion towards our commitment to deliver 275,000 affordable homes by 2020. This will be the fastest rate of affordable housing building in the last 20 years.Since April 2010 we have delivered over 260,000 affordable homes, with almost 60,000 delivered last year.

Local Government: Edinburgh

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what progress has been made on the proposed Edinburgh City Deal.

James Wharton: We are working with Edinburgh and South East Scotland on their proposals to drive local economic growth and will continue to do so in partnership with the Scottish Government. As a One Nation Government, serious about rebalancing our economy, we will consider strong, credible ideas from all areas of the UK.

Affordable Housing: East of England

Jo Churchill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent progress has been made on increasing the provision of affordable and sustainable social housing in the East of England.

Brandon Lewis: To date, £1 billion has already been allocated towards our commitment to deliver a further 275,000 affordable homes by 2020.Of this, £155 million will deliver affordable homes in the East and South East of England.

Housing: Construction

Christian Matheson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of recent trends in the level of housebuilding.

Brandon Lewis: Housing starts have almost doubled since 2009. Over 608,000 new homes have been built since April 2010 – there are now 795,000 more homes in England than in 2009.Trends in housebuilding are published in the quarterly House Building Release.

Owner Occupation

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of home ownership since 2010.

Brandon Lewis: Annual home ownership statistics are published in the Department’s English Housing Survey. We are committed to one million more first time buyers over this Parliament, doubling the number achieved in the last Parliament. We are currently at a seven-year annual high with 264,500 first time buyers in England in 2014.

Local Plans

Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what support his Department is providing to local authorities who have not adopted or updated their Local Plan.

Brandon Lewis: Sixty five per cent of local authorities have adopted a Local Plan, compared to only 17 per cent in May 2010. We want to see full up-to-date plan coverage. The Department provides targeted support to local authorities and funds support from the Planning Advisory Service and the Planning Inspectorate.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Stationery

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what estimate he has made of the value of stationery that has been (a) lost and (b) stolen from his Department in each of the last five fiscal years; and what the cost was of replacing such stationery.

David Mundell: No items of stationery have been reported as lost or stolen in the last five years.

Scotland Office: Publications

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his Answer of 4 November 2015 to Question 14206, for what reason his Department's quarterly report of transparency information from October to December 2014 was not ready for publication until 15 October 2015.

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his Answer of 4 November 2015 to Question 14206, for what reason his Department's quarterly report of transparency information from July to September 2014 was not ready for publication until 15 October 2015.

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his Answer of 4 November 2015 to Question 14206, for what reason his Department's quarterly report of transparency information from January to March 2015 was not ready for publication until 15 October 2015.

David Mundell: The Government publishes an unprecedented range of Transparency data. This is a significant task across all Departments, and Information is published as quickly as is possible.

Women and Equalities

Government Equalities Office: Stationery

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what estimate she has made of the value of stationery that has been (a) lost and (b) stolen from her Department in each of the last five fiscal years; and what the cost was of replacing such stationery.

Caroline Dinenage: Information in the form requested is not held centrally and could be estimated only at disproportionate cost.

Females: Financial Services

Alison McGovern: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether the Government plans to take steps to encourage financial services firms to publicise their gender diversity figures.

Caroline Dinenage: Our ambition is to eliminate gender pay gap within a generation. That is why we will require larger employers, including those in the finance sector, to publish information showing the differences between men and women’s pay and bonuses.

Sports: Females

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, pursuant to the Answer of 9 July 2015 to Question 4418, which women's (a) rugby, (b) cricket and (c) football matches she has attended in an official capacity since taking office.

Caroline Dinenage: I have not yet attended any women’s rugby, cricket or football matches in an official capacity since taking office.

Department for Transport

Aviation: Exhaust Emissions

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of emissions containing organo-phosphates produced by aircraft engines on airline and airport staff and passengers.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department commissioned four scientific studies into cabin air in 2007. All studies commissioned by the Department were submitted to the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment for consideration in 2012. The Committee published a position paper on cabin air in December 2013, which can be accessed in full electronically at: http://cot.food.gov.uk/sites/default/files/cot/cotpospapcabin.pdf.In addition to the Department’s studies, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has launched a preliminary in-flight cabin air measurement campaign in spring 2015, the results of which are expected in autumn 2016.

Fisheries: Migrant Workers

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress he has made in respect of the introduction of regulations for international seafarers in the fishing industry.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency is working with industry representatives, fishing vessel owners and fishermen, to develop UK proposals to implement the ILO Work in Fishing Convention (ILO 188). A public consultation on those proposals is due early in 2016.

Bypasses: Northamptonshire

Mr Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the planned date for the (a) start and (b) finish of the A509 Isham bypass is; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Jones: The latest information provided by Northamptonshire County Council, the promoters of the A509 Wellingborough Development Link which contains the proposed Isham Bypass, is that subject to the successful completion of any remaining design and legal process, and approval by my Department, work could start on site in April 2017 and the scheme open in October 2018.

Railways: Devon

Johnny Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans  his Department has to electrify the South Devon Banks section of the rail line between Newton Abbott and Plymouth by 2018.

Claire Perry: Plans to electrify the South Devon Banks section of the rail line between Newton Abbott and Plymouth are not included within the current Great Western Main Line electrification program. The Department expects that an update to the industry electrification strategy will be published by Network Rail as a draft for consultation in early 2016. This will take into account the outcome of Sir Peter Hendy’s Review of Network Rail’s 2014-2019 rail enhancements portfolio which is expected later this Autumn. The draft strategy considers potential routes for further electrification in Great Britain including those in the South West.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Armed Conflict: Schools

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether it is his policy to (a) support the Safe Schools Declaration which arose from the Oslo conference on safe schools in May 2015 and (b) implement the Guidelines on Protecting Schools and Universities from Military Use during Armed Conflict, published by the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack.

Mr Philip Hammond: Holding answer received on 06 November 2015



The intention of the Safe Schools Declaration is for countries to endorse the Guidelines for Protecting Schools and Universities from Military use during Armed Conflict. While we support the spirit of the initiative, we have concerns that the Guidelines do not mirror the exact language of International Humanitarian Law. We consider that the full implementation of International Humanitarian Law provides the best protection for civilians in all situations of armed conflict. The UK, along with other countries such as Australia, Canada and France, were therefore not able to sign the Safe Schools Declaration in Oslo in May.

Yemen: Cluster Munitions

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on whether cluster munitions have been used in Yemen.

Mr Philip Hammond: Holding answer received on 06 November 2015



We are aware of recent reports that the Saudi-led coalition, as well as the Houthis, may have used cluster munitions in Yemen. We note that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is not yet a State Party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, but have encouraged it to accede to the Convention. We have raised these allegations with the Saudi Arabian Government, stressing that all parties to the conflict should act in accordance with international Humanitarian Law.

Syria: Refugees

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of Syrian children in Europe who are (a) vulnerable to trafficking and (b) unaccompanied.

Mr Philip Hammond: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

South Sudan: Politics and Government

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of the creation of 28 states in South Sudan on the prospects for peace in that region.

Mr Philip Hammond: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Egypt

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the President of Egypt on that country's protest and counter-terrorism laws.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) discussed a range of bilateral issues with President Sisi on 5 November, including our concerns about the application of laws regarding protests and counter-terrorism.

Egypt: Human Rights

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what human rights concerns he plans to raise with President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi of Egypt during his forthcoming visit.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) discussed human rights issues in Egypt with President Sisi on 5 November. He raised a number of concerns, including around the detention of political activists, mass trials and restrictions on freedom of expression.

Egypt: Detainees

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he made to the President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi of Egypt about the case of Israa Al-Taweel.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Although the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) did not raise this specific case on 5 November, he discussed human rights issues in Egypt with President Sisi. He raised a number of concerns, including around the detention of political activists, mass trials and restrictions on freedom of expression.

Egypt: Detainees

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he raised with the President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi of Egypt the case of Mahmoud Mohamed Ahmed Hussein.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Although the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) did not raise this specific case on 5 November, he discussed human rights issues in Egypt with President Sisi. He raised a number of concerns, including around the detention of political activists, mass trials and restrictions on freedom of expression.

Bermuda: Companies

Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will ensure that any agreement on a central registry of beneficial ownership in Bermuda includes access for the public with legitimate reason.

James Duddridge: In March the Financial Secretary to the Treasury and I wrote to the Premier of Bermuda asking him to set out plans and a timetable for the implementation of a central register of company beneficial ownership, or similarly effective system, to meet three criteria, including law enforcement access. Bermuda has had a central registry of company and trust beneficiaries since 1939. It includes all shareholdings above 10% compared to the 25% which is the threshold for the UK’s register. The information is updated in real time and is already shared with law enforcement and tax authorities on request. We remain of the view that a public central register is the best approach to improve company transparency.

Egypt: Human Rights

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he has taken to ensure that military vehicle licences granted by the UK to the Egyptian government will not contribute to human rights violations.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK operates one of the most rigorous and transparent arms export control regimes in the world. All defence and dual-use exports are required to meet the UK’s strict export control legislation and adhere to the UK’s international commitments, including under international treaties and other arrangements. We do not issue an export licence if there is a clear risk that the proposed export might be used for internal repression or in the commission of a serious violation of international humanitarian law, and we take account of any risk that the goods might be diverted to undesirable end-users or end-use.

Department for International Development

Department for International Development: Scotland

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many officials of her Department have been employed to communicate the benefits of the Union to the Scottish public.

Mr Desmond Swayne: Scotland's contribution to the UK's international development effort is immense and we can be proud of what we have achieved together. As one United Kingdom, we have a much greater impact in saving lives and helping the world's neediest people.We have a duty to communicate to the UK public how international development, funded by the British people, is making a difference in the world's poorest places. That includes making sure that people in Scotland know what we are achieving together.In line with the cross-party International Development Committee’s recommendations, DFID has recruited one senior external communications officer for Scotland and devolved administrations.

Crimes of Violence: Females

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to reduce violence against women and girls.

Justine Greening: Addressing violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a top priority for the UK Government and DFID’s Ministerial team. The UK led efforts across the globe to ensure that a target to end VAWG formed part of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and we are now focused on seeing this target implemented. Following our Call to Action to Protect Women and Girls in Emergencies in 2013 and Girl Summit in 2014, DFID has also continued to scale up its own programmes to address VAWG.

Overseas Aid

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, on what grounds UK aid is given to countries on the EU Commission tax haven blacklist.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many countries on the EU Commission tax haven blacklist, or identified as zero tax jurisdictions, received UK aid in financial years 2013-14 and 2014-15.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much UK aid was provided to countries on the EU Commission tax haven blacklist or identified as zero tax jurisdictions in the financial years 2013-14 and 2014-15.

Mr Desmond Swayne: DFID uses a range of criteria to inform how we allocate aid across countries. These criteria include, for example, current and projected poverty levels in the country, the country’s ability to self-finance its development (e.g. through domestic taxation), and the likely effectiveness of UK aid.A number of EU member states maintain lists of jurisdictions for tax purposes against criteria concerning tax transparency and/or the prevailing tax rate. The EU does not maintain a blacklist; however a list of 30 jurisdictions that featured on 10 or more member state lists was compiled and then superseded by a recent European Commission update.This update included UK Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories which had the UK’s signature of the Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters extended to them in 2014. The updated individual member state lists can be found at: http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/taxation/gen_info/good_governance_matters/lists_of_countries/.Of the 30 jurisdictions named in the original list, 14 received UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) in 2013 (the most recent year for which consolidated figures are available). Of these 14, only three (Liberia, Montserrat and Vanuatu) received ODA from DFID for development and humanitarian assistance in that year. Details of funding amounts to these 14 jurisdictions can be found at the Statistics on International Development 2014 page of the gov.uk website.

Palestinians: Overseas Aid

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much of the money pledged by the UK at the donor conference for Palestinians in Cairo in October 2014 has reached beneficiaries in the Gaza Strip; and what that money has been spent on.

Mr Desmond Swayne: In October 2014, the UK pledged £20 million in early recovery assistance at the Gaza Reconstruction Conference in Cairo. We have fully disbursed our pledge and will exceed it over the coming months, as we disburse residual funds on getting businesses back to work in Gaza.DFID’s support has included reconstructive surgery and rehabilitation for those injured in the conflict, clearance of unexploded ordnance, short-term employment schemes, shelter and basic services, support to the private sector, funding for the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism (GRM), and direct support and technical assistance to the Palestinian Authority.

Palestinians

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what provisions her Department has made for (a) child and adolescent friendly spaces and (b) other psycho-social support for children affected by the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The UK is the third largest donor to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which is providing basic education and protection for over 230,000 children in Gaza.As part of the UK’s humanitarian response to the 2014 conflict, DFID activated its £3 million Rapid Response Facility which included support to Handicap International, Plan International and International Medical Corps to provide psycho-social support, child protection and mental health support to children in Gaza.DFID also provided support to the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) who have cleared all UNRWA and 21 Palestinian Authority schools of unexploded ordnance allowing 250,000 students to return to school.

Children: Armed Conflict

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what provisions her Department makes for long-term humanitarian funding for children in protracted crises (a) in Central African Republic and (b) elsewhere where aid organisations are inhibited in providing psycho-social support for children affected by armed conflict because of short-term funding cycles.

Mr Desmond Swayne: Since 2013, the UK has committed £58 million to address the needs of Central Africans, Central African children and of CAR refugees. This funding has enabled agencies to support children who have been separated from their families, provide services for girls and boys who have suffered sexual and gender-based violence, to reduce malnutrition, and give children access to education and training. The UK monitors need in CAR and reviews regularly the strategy and level of support it provides.In many other conflict affected countries DFID is providing multi-year funding to help humanitarian agencies with strategic longer term plans to assist conflict affected populations, including children.In the Syria region for example, the UK has allocated £111 million to provide protection, psychosocial support and education for children affected by the crisis in Syria and the region. In Iraq, this includes funding to establish women and children’s centres, which provide counselling and support for women, and safe spaces for children to play and learn. In Syria, the UK is supporting children with food, shelter and health. The UK also helped launch, and mobilise international support for, the ‘No Lost Generation’ Initiative (NLGI), which aims to prevent a whole generation being lost to the Syria conflict through physical and psychological trauma and lack of access to quality education and other basic services.

Overseas Aid

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what her Department's policy is on aid graduation when a country transitions from low to middle income status.

Justine Greening: DFID’s allocation of aid to countries is based on a range of criteria, including for example whether a country is classified as low income by the World Bank, current and future poverty levels, the opportunities available to us to reduce these levels through aid spending, and the country’s ability to finance its own development needs. Ministers regularly review which countries receive DFID funding.

Department for International Development: Stationery

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate she has made of the value of stationery that has been (a) lost and (b) stolen from her Department in each of the last five fiscal years; and what the cost was of replacing such stationery.

Mr Desmond Swayne: DFID does not maintain records of stationery lost or stolen. Therefore, it is not possible to estimate what the replacement cost would be.

World Food Programme

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the financial contribution made by (a) the UK and (b) other nations to the UN World Food Programme to meet demand on that programme (i) in 2015 and (ii) from January 2016.

Mr Desmond Swayne: Total World Food Programme (WFP) operational requirements for 2015 are £5.23 billion. The UK is currently the second largest donor to the WFP, after the United States.As of 15 October 2015 WFP had received £2.47 billion in contributions, of which the UK provided £252.5 million.A full list of donor contributions can be found at http://www.wfp.org/funding/year/2015.Very few contributions for 2016 will have been made yet, and figures for 2016 are therefore not yet available.

Humanitarian Aid

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what her objectives are for the World Humanitarian Summit in May 2016.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The World Humanitarian Summit will provide a major opportunity to set out an ambitious vision for humanitarian and development action to guide our work until 2030.The Secretary of State for International Development has four priorities for the Summit:Strengthen the protection of civilians in a crisis and improve compliance with International Humanitarian Law;Deliver a step change in how the humanitarian community approaches resilience to natural disasters, moving from managing crises to managing risk and ensuring Governments and communities have the capacity to do this themselves;Address the growing gap between need and available resources through smarter financing that delivers better outcomes at lower cost and is more accountable to people in need;Focus on women and girls throughout the summit to ensure existing commitments are translated into action.

World Food Programme

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the effect on Syrian refugees of fluctuations in the value of food vouchers provided by the World Food Programme.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The UK is at the forefront of the response to the crisis in Syria and the region and has pledged over £1.1 billion to date, our largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis. By the end of June 2015, our support in Syria and the region had delivered almost 20 million food rations, over 2.5 million medical consultations and relief items for 4.6 million people.Recent UN food security assessments have shown that fluctuations in assistance by the World Food Programme (WFP), as well as other agencies, has had an impact on refugee’s ability to provide for their basic needs. The UK is closely monitoring the situation across the region, alongside other key donors, to understand how this reduction in support will further impact the lives of Syrian refugees.UN appeals for Syria and the region remain severely underfunded. We continue to lobby other partners to step up to the plate and match our commitment.

Department for Education

Faith Schools: Islam

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the framework is for assessing quality of education and inspecting standards and safety in settings where children are instructed in madrassas.

Edward Timpson: Local authorities are responsible for safeguarding children in their areas, regardless of where they are educated. The statutory guidance on the Prevent Duty[1] makes it clear that local authorities should take steps to understand the range of out of school settings, such as supplementary schools and tuition centres, in their area and take appropriate steps to ensure that children attending such settings are properly safeguarded.The Prime Minister has recently announced that supplementary schools which provide intensive education will need to register themselves for inspection. The government’s counter-extremism strategy[2] sets out our intentions to introduce this system. We will be consulting on this regulatory framework.Intervention will apply if there are concerns about the safety or welfare of the children attending these supplementary schools. Where institutions are teaching intolerance we will not hesitate to take action. We are consulting on the coverage of this proposed scheme, which is likely to include some madrasa schools.[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prevent-duty-guidance[2] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/counter-extremism-strategy

Teachers: Training

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teacher training degrees incorporate modules on working with children aged 0 to 5 years.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Early Years Initial Teacher Training was introduced in 2013. Early Years Teachers are specialists in early childhood development, trained to work with babies and young children from birth to five. Early Years Initial Teacher Training trainees who successfully meet the Teachers’ Standards (Early Years) are awarded Early Years Teacher Status. All modules of Early Years Initial Teacher Training courses include working with children aged 0 to 5 years. All initial teacher training courses that lead to the award of Qualified Teacher Status also cover the 3 to 18 age range.

University Technical Colleges

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding her Department has provided to the Baker Dearing Trust in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Boles: Holding answer received on 05 November 2015



The Baker Dearing Educational Trust’s annual accounts are published each year. They show that the Baker Dearing Educational Trust has received grant funding to provide pre-approval support to groups that wish to apply to the Department to open a University Technical College as set out in the table below:Calendar YearFunding Received2011£151,9232012£150,0952013£153,4582014£213,191Between 1 January 2015 and 30 September 2015, the department paid the Baker Dearing Educational Trust grant funding of £116,912. The Baker Dearing Educational Trust’s accounts for 2015 will be published in due course.The first grant to the Baker Dearing Educational Trust in April 2011 was awarded directly to the trust. Subsequent grants have been awarded after a competitive tender process.

Qualifications

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department has taken to implement the conclusions of Fixing the foundations: creating a more prosperous nation, Cm 9098, published in July 2015, and simplify and streamline the number of qualifications.

Nick Boles: Holding answer received on 06 November 2015



Compared to other countries, technical and professional education in England is still too complex. The government’s ambition is for a system that provides individuals with clear, high-quality routes to employment.Following Professor Alison Wolf’s 2011 Review of Vocational Education, the government has already removed thousands of low-quality qualifications, which were not valued by employers, from the school and college performance tables.Building on these reforms we will introduce up to 20 specific new professional and technical routes will be created, leading up to employment or degree-level study. This will simplify the system so individuals no longer need to choose from thousands of qualifications.To advise on these reforms, the government has appointed an Independent Panel on Technical and Professional Education, headed by Lord Sainsbury, former Minister of Science and Innovation.

Further Education

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to encourage more teachers with qualifications in English and mathematics to take up posts in further education colleges.

Nick Boles: Holding answer received on 06 November 2015



Our Further Education Workforce Strategy[1] published in 2014 sets out the steps government has already taken to encourage more teachers with qualifications in English and Mathematics to take up posts in further education colleges.Since 2013, bursaries of up to £25,000 have been available to attract new graduates with relevant degrees to teach English and Mathematics, and to specialise in teaching students with SEN within the FE sector. To date, over 950 bursaries have been provided to graduates. The government is committed to supporting the development of the teaching workforce in FE and has invested over £30m since 2013 to fund a range of programmes and incentives to improve the quality of leadership, teaching and support staff in the sector – with a priority on English and Maths.Furthermore, 3,800 existing FE teachers have benefited from enhancement programmes designed to improve teacher confidence and knowledge of new GCSE English and Maths qualifications.Further information on Further Education teacher training can be found in the ‘Get into Teaching’ website[2] and FE advice websites[3].[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/further-education-workforce-strategy[2]https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/[3] https://www.feadvice.org.uk/

School Leaving

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government has taken to (a) improve destination data for school leavers and (b) develop online portals to help advise school leavers of all post-16 learning options.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Information on the destinations of Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5 students was published on 20 October 2015. These experimental statistics are available online.[1]The statistics are published at national, local, constituency, and institution level.Since they were first released in 2012, we have added data about employment destinations; improved the coverage by including independent schools, special schools, pupil referral units and other alternative provision; and have improved the timeliness of the data. We have also included the Key Stage 4 education destinations in performance tables.We are looking to improve the quality of the destinations data by linking it to employment and benefits data. We plan to publish all Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5 destinations as headline performance measures in the 2016 performance tables.In our guidance on post-16 funding, we set out the expectation that providers of post-16 education and training will add information on their Government funded courses to a national database. The aim is that portal providers will be able to access this information and present it in a user-friendly way, to help young people make informed decisions about their options. Providers of post-16 education and training are currently uploading course information to this database.[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-destinations

Further Education: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effect of annual funding cycles on the ability of further education and sixth form colleges to undertake financial planning; what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on that matter; what plans the Government has to change those funding cycles to reflect Government spending review cycles; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Sam Gyimah: 16-19 funding is that it is based on the level of recruitment institutions delivered in the previous year. That means institutions’ funding keeps pace with changing student numbers with the minimum delay. The Government has no plans to change the 16-19 funding system.

Teachers: English Language and Mathematics

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to increase the number of English and mathematics teachers in further education and sixth form colleges; and what effect those steps have had.

Nick Boles: Our FE Workforce Strategy[1], published in 2014, sets out the steps the government has taken to encourage more Mathematics and English teachers to take up posts in further education colleges.Since 2013, bursaries of up to £25,000 have been available to attract new graduates with relevant degrees to teach Maths and English, and to specialise in teaching students with SEN within the FE sector. These bursaries match those offered to trainee secondary teachers. To date, over 950 bursaries have been provided to graduates.In March 2015, the Prime Minister announced an investment of £67m in a package of measures to improve the teaching of STEM subjects, including Maths, in secondary schools and sixth form colleges. This will see an additional 2,500 new Maths and Physics teachers trained, and a further 15,000 teachers given additional support to improve their subject knowledge.[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/further-education-workforce-strategy

Teachers: English Language and Mathematics

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what representations she has received on increasing the number of English and mathematics teachers in further education and sixth form colleges.

Nick Boles: Ministers and officials at both the Department for Education and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills have on-going discussions with stakeholder organisations and colleges about the need to ensure well qualified and skilled teachers of English and mathematics in both FE colleges and sixth form colleges, as we set out in our FE Workforce Strategy and National College for Teaching and Leadership business plan.

Schools: Suffolk

Dr   Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure schools in rural Suffolk receive an allocation of funding based on need.

Mr Sam Gyimah: In the previous Parliament we allocated an extra £10.5 million to Suffolk for its schools, in the biggest step forward in fairer funding in a decade. We are protecting the schools budget in this Parliament, so that it rises with pupil numbers. We have already ensured that the extra funding for under-funded areas from 2015-16, including the £10.5 million for Suffolk, will be included in budgets for 2016-17. We are committed to going further in ensuring funding for schools in Suffolk is allocated according to need and will bring forward plans after the Spending Review.

Teachers

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of additional teachers needed in (a) 2016-17, (b) 2017-18, (c) 2018-19, (d) 2019-20 and (e) 2020-21.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education uses the Teacher Supply Model (TSM) to estimate the demand for the number of qualified teachers within state-funded schools in England each year using a range of assumptions, including projections for the numbers of pupils in schools, the number of teachers expected to leave the sector and the number of returnees.The estimate of teacher demand is published in part 1 of the TSM here: www.gov.uk/government/publications/teacher-supply-modelThe TSM’s primary purpose is to estimate the number of Initial Teacher Training (ITT) places required in the 2016/17 academic year to yield the required number of Newly Qualified Teachers (NQTs) entering the profession in 2017/18. The TSM is updated annually to reflect the latest available data.

Teachers

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of additional teachers need in (a) mathematics, (b) English, (c) science, (d) physics, (e) computer science, (f) modern languages, (g) geography and (h) history in (i) 2016-17, (ii) 2017-18, (iii) 2018-19, (iv) 2019-20 and (v) 2020-21.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education uses the Teacher Supply Model (TSM) to estimate the demand for the number of qualified teachers within state-funded schools in England each year using a range of assumptions, including projections for the numbers of pupils in schools, the number of teachers expected to leave the sector and the number of returnees.To estimate the demand for teachers for specific secondary subjects, the TSM uses the latest data on secondary subject take-up, defined by hours taught, and projected pupil numbers at Key Stages 3 to 5. It also takes into account the different age and gender demographics of the teacher stock for different subjects, which affect the likelihood of teachers of different subjects leaving the profession or retiring, and assumptions on the impacts of subject-specific policy changes.The estimate of teacher demand is published in part 1 of the TSM here: www.gov.uk/government/publications/teacher-supply-modelThe TSM’s primary purpose is to estimate the number of Initial Teacher Training (ITT) places required in the 2016/17 academic year to yield the required number of Newly Qualified Teachers (NQTs) entering the profession in 2017/18. The TSM is updated annually to reflect the latest available data.

Home Education

Sir Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether home educators are permitted under her Department's guidance to receive help from education authorities (a) through the SEN budget and (b) for looked after children, through the pupil premium; and what financial help is available to guardians who wish to home educate children with SEN.

Edward Timpson: Local authorities can use the high needs block of the Dedicated Schools Grant to fund provision for home-educated children, where it is appropriate to do so. Guidance is available from the Department of Education on funding provision for home-educated children.As set out in the ‘Special educational needs and disability code of practice’[1], where local authorities and parents agree that home education is the right provision for a child or young person with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan, then the local authority must arrange the special educational provision set out in the plan.In cases where the EHC plan gives the name of a school or type of school where the child will be educated and the parents decide to educate him or her at home, the local authority is not under a duty to make the special educational provision set out in the plan, provided it is satisfied that the arrangements made by the parents are suitable.Where parents choose to home educate children who have special educational needs but do not have EHC plans, local authorities should work with parents and consider whether to provide support in the home to help the parents make suitable provision.The presumption is that looked-after children should access full-time learning in an education setting that best meets their needs. In the exceptional circumstances where a decision is made to home educate a looked-after child it would be for a local authority’s Virtual School Head, who is responsible for promoting the educational achievement of looked-after children, to decide how pupil premium funding should be used to support the young person.Where a child’s carer has a special guardianship order, that person would have full parental rights over the child and would therefore be entitled to whatever home education support the local authority would normally provide to a parent, as described above.[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/elective-home-education.

Further Education: Teachers

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of posts for teaching (a) English and (b) mathematics in further education colleges that are (i) unfilled and (ii) filled by teachers without a qualification in those subjects.

Nick Boles: The Department for Education does not hold this information. The Further Education sector is independent of government and we do not collect information about the numbers of English and Mathematics posts in further education colleges that are unfilled, or filled by teachers without a qualification in those subjects.Both the Department for Education and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills have had ongoing discussions with FE stakeholder organisations about our continued support for an increase in the numbers of well qualified and skilled teachers of English and Mathematics in the sector, as we set out in our FE Workforce Strategy.

Further Education: Student Numbers

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the likely change in the number of students in further education colleges after 2020; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Boles: The current spending review extends up to the academic year 2019/20. As such, the Department has made no forecast of student numbers beyond the end of this period.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Broadband: Rural Areas

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the amount of its own capital which BT has invested in the rural broadband rollout programme to date.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Major Projects Authority concluded in Autumn 2014 that BDUK’s open book accounting process which supports BDUK’s monitoring and control of BT’s costsisan exemplar of best practice.Most Phase 1 broadband projects are using this process. BT have incurred £230 million spend to date for these projects.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Trade Unions

Tom Pursglove: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many civil servants in his Department are members of trades unions; how much working hours facility time is claimed by each such civil servant; and what the cost of that facility time is to his Department.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Department does not actively collect information around trade union memberships.The Cabinet Office publishes data relating to Civil Service facility time on a quarterly basis. The latest data is Quarter 4, 2014 at and is available athttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/trade-union-facility-time."

Broadband

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will hold discussions with each of the devolved administrations on ensuring that the roll-out of superfast broadband benefits people across the UK uniformly.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Government's superfast broadband programme is aimed at achieving availability of superfast broadband to 95% of UK premises by December 2017. The funding allocations to the English local authorities and the devolved administrations have been made on the basis of maximising overall UK coverage,and the Phase 2 allocations that were made in February 2014 also had a minimum allocation for each devolved administration based on the Barnett formula.

Walking

Mr David Nuttall: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what funding is available to assist the development and promotion of long distance walks.

Tracey Crouch: The Government is investing over £68 million through Sport England for outdoor recreation sports. The Ramblers and Long Distance Walking Association are recognised by Sport England as National Governing Bodies, and can apply for Sport England funding.

BBC: Equal Pay

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will make representations on reducing the gender pay gap at the BBC during forthcoming discussions on the BBC Charter.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Charter Review is looking at the BBC's mission, purpose and values; scale and scope of its services and operations; the way it is funded; and also governance and accountability.Last week, the Government announced new measures to eradicate gender inequality in the workplace, including forcing larger public sector employersto publish information about their bonuses for men and women and extending plans for gender pay gap reporting.

Channel Four

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when he has held discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on privatisation of Channel 4 in the last 12 months.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Secretary of State meets regularly with the Chancellor to discuss matters relating to DCMS policy. The government has made no decisions regarding reform of Channel 4.The government is considering a range of options as to how best to ensure Channel 4's future sustainability while maintaining its ability to deliver against its remit, including options put forward by Channel 4.

Channel Four

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what meetings he has had with Ministers from the Cabinet Office at which the privatisation of Channel 4 was discussed in August and September 2015.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Secretary of State meets regularly with Ministers from the Cabinet Office to discuss matters relating to DCMS policy. The government has made no decisions regarding reform of Channel 4. The government is considering a range of options as to how best to ensure Channel 4's future sustainability while maintaining its ability to deliver against its remit, including options put forward by Channel 4.

Channel Four

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the privatisation of Channel 4 on the independent production sector in the UK.

Mr Edward Vaizey: No decisions have been made on the future of Channel 4. The Government is considering how best to ensure Channel 4's future sustainability, while maintaining its ability to deliver against its remit. It will also be important to consider the impacts of any possible changes to Channel 4 on the independent UK production sector.

Channel Four

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Cabinet Office on privatisation of Channel 4 in the last year.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Secretary of State meets regularly with the Secretary of State for the Cabinet Office to discuss matters relating to DCMS policy. The government has made no decisions regarding reform of Channel 4. The government is considering a range of options as to how best to ensure Channel 4's future sustainability while maintaining its ability to deliver against its remit, including options put forward by Channel 4.

Broadband

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he plans to take to improve broadband services in urban areas (a) generally and (b) for small and medium-sized businesses in 2015-16.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Access to broadband is of vital importance to small and medium-sized businesses, which is why the Government-funded Broadband Connection Voucher Scheme has provided over 50,000 small and medium sized enterprises with access to high speed broadband.83 per cent of homes and businesses already have access to superfast broadband services, and thanks to the Government's investment in the superfast broadband rollout, this is set to rise to 95 per cent by the end of 2017. In addition, the Government is supportingseven pilot projects exploring options for delivering superfast broadband services to the hardest to reach parts of the UK.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Agriculture: Climate Change

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what research her Department is funding on the effects of climate change on agricultural production in the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Rory Stewart: Under the Climate Change Act 2008, the Government has a statutory role to produce, on a five-yearly cycle, an assessment of the risks and opportunities for the UK arising from climate change. The first Climate Change Risk Assessment was published in 2012. Work is underway on the second CCRA, for which Defra is funding the Adaptation Sub-Committee of the Committee on Climate Change to produce the underpinning Evidence Report by July 2016. This will include an up-to-date review of evidence on the effects of climate change on agriculture, and all other sectors. The CCRA Government Report will be laid before Parliament no later than January 2017.

Fly-tipping: Fines

Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will bring forward proposals to increase the level of fines available to local authorities for fly-tipping.

Rory Stewart: The fine for fly-tipping is unlimited.Tackling fly-tipping is a priority for the Government. As set out in our manifesto, next spring we will be giving councils the power to tackle small scale fly-tipping through fixed penalty notices as an alternative to prosecutions.

Puffins

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the factors contributing to the reclassification of Atlantic puffins as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the UK contributes to conserving the puffin population.

Rory Stewart: The latest population trends indicate a recent decline in the population of UK puffins. This is thought to be due to a combination of factors, including climate change-related food shortages and inclement weather conditions during the breeding season.The UK is currently undertaking a review of the terrestrial and coastal network of UK Special Protection Areas (SPA), classified under the EU Wild Birds Directive. The review will inform the need for any further SPA provision for this species.The UK is also making good progress in identifying a number of SPAs in the marine environment to complete our network. These will be in addition to the existing 108 SPAs with marine components currently in place in the UK, which provide protection for just over 11,500km2 of seabird habitat.Additionally in England, Natural England has been involved in projects to eradicate mammalian predators on Lundy and the Isles of Scilly which should improve the nesting conditions for breeding puffins.

Schools: Water Charges

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to take steps to ensure that water and sewerage charges for schools reflect actual costs incurred by the water company.

Rory Stewart: The amount that water and sewerage companies can charge their customers is subject to a cap set by Ofwat, the independent economic regulator. Ofwat has statutory duties to ensure that customer charges are fair and that the companies are able to finance the essential services they provide.Working within Ofwat’s regulatory framework, water companies have choices to make about how they apportion costs for the different services they provide across different groups of customers. All water and sewerage companies have to remove and treat the rainwater that drains into public sewers, so a surface water drainage charge is included in all customers’ bills. Some companies average these costs across all their customers, while others charge their non-household customers according to the amount of water that drains from their property into the sewer. This is known as site area charging; its aim is to ensure that charges reflect the actual costs associated with providing a drainage service to that customer.This approach to charging results in reductions to the bills of some customers. However, it can increase the bills of some organisations, such as schools, that manage larger sites. The Government is aware of concerns about the impact of surface water drainage charges on schools in the North West. In light of this we will be reviewing our Guidance to Water and Sewerage Undertakers in relation to Concessionary Schemes for Community Groups for Surface Water Drainage Charges.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Renewable Energy: Northern Ireland

Danny Kinahan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent discussions she has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on the extension of feed-in tariffs to Northern Ireland.

Andrea Leadsom: The focus of the current Feed-in Tariff review is to ensure generators are incentivised appropriately and to seek views on how to control future costs.We do not consider it appropriate at this moment to extend the scope of the scheme.

Employment

Christian Matheson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate her Department has made of the change in the number of jobs in the energy efficiency, solar and low-carbon heating industries during 2015 to date; what estimate it has made of the equivalent change in 2016; and what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse will be of support packages provided by the Government to people who have lost or will lose their jobs in those industries.

Andrea Leadsom: In March 2015, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills published a report on 'The size and performance of the UK low carbon economy’ which contains estimates for the number of jobs supported by various low carbon sectors. The latest data is for 2013 and suggests that in the UK there were 54,400 directly employed in the energy efficiency products sector, 20,300 directly employed in the solar photovoltaic sector and 19,300 directly employed in the low carbon heating sector (excluding use of biomass). Further employment occurs in the supply chains to these sectors.Information is not available to robustly estimate the potential cost to the public purse of the changes. However a Government consultation has been run on the changes to the financial support for solar PV within the Renewable Obligationfrom 22 July to2 September and a consultation on the feed-in tariff review from 27 August to 23 October. We welcomed evidence from the sector during these consultations and we will respond in due course. The government is committed to reducing emissions from heating and improving energy efficiency, including a goal to install one million more energy efficiency measures before the end of this Parliament.Figures quoted above have been rounded to the nearest hundred. The full report and data can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/low-carbon-economy-size-and-performance.

Hinkley Point C Power Station

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the risk premium negotiated with EDF energy for the waste transfer contracts covering radioactive waste from Hinkley Point C is; and what advisers her Department appointed to assist in those negotiations.

Andrea Leadsom: The waste transfer contracts for the Hinkley Point C power station have been prepared in line with the approach set out in the Waste Transfer Pricing Methodology published in 2011.As set out in the methodology, the contracts provide for the setting of a Waste Transfer Price for the provision of a waste disposal service. The Waste Transfer Price will be set at a level over and above estimated costs and include a risk premium to compensate the taxpayer for taking on the risk of subsequent cost escalation.In line with the methodology, the contracts provide that the Waste Transfer Price, and hence the risk premium, is not set at the outset but instead is deferred for a specified Deferral Period to enable greater certainty over expected costs. Therefore the waste transfer contracts for Hinkley Point C do not specify a risk premium. Rather, the contracts set out how the Waste Transfer Price, and hence the risk premium, will be determined at the end of the Deferral Period and the approach in the contracts is in line with the published methodology.DECC appointed Slaughter and May to provide legal advice in the negotiations on the waste transfer contracts for Hinkley Point C.

Hinkley Point C Power Station

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to her Written Statement of 21 October 2015, HCWS 257, on energy investments, what the evidential basis is for her judgement that the waste transfer contract liabilities are likely to be very low.

Andrea Leadsom: The basis on which my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State considers the likelihood of the potential waste transfer contract liabilities arising to be very low is set out in the Departmental Minute laid before Parliament alongside the Written Statement on 21 October, which for ease of reference is annexed.



Minute to P'ment HPC contingent liabilities 21 Oct
(Word Document, 32.78 KB)

Hinkley Point C Power Station

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to her Written Statement of 21 October 2015, HCWS 257, on energy investments, how many waste transfer contract documents for Hinkley Point C have been agreed; where such contract documents are being published; and how many such documents will be withheld for reasons of commercial confidentiality.

Andrea Leadsom: Two waste transfer contracts are proposed (but have not yet been entered into) for Hinkley Point C, one for intermediate level waste and one for spent fuel. In line with the published Waste Transfer Pricing Methodology, we would expect to publish as much of the waste transfer contracts as possible, except for material of a sensitive nature, if the Secretary of State decides to enter into the Contract for Difference and the waste transfer contracts are signed. We would expect to make these documents available on the www.gov.uk website.

Renewable Energy

Callum McCaig: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent projection her Department has made of the (a) total installed capacity and (b) generation output of each renewable electricity technology in 2020-21.

Andrea Leadsom: In August 2015 DECC published estimated capacity of key renewable technologies through delivery under Contracts for Difference, the Renewables Obligation and Investment Contracts in 2020/21 after cost control measures are implemented:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/457313/Estimated_capacity_of_selected_renewable_technologies_in_2020-21.pdf).We also published an Impact Assessment for the review of the FITs scheme which set out projected installed capacity and generation output under the options proposed:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/458662/IA_for_FITs_consultation_August_2015_-_FINAL_docx__e-signature_included__v2.pdf.The estimated total installed capacity (in gigawatt) and generation (gigawatt hours) from all renewable electricity support schemes (Renewables Obligation, Feed-In Tariff, Contracts For Difference and Investment Contracts) in 2020/21 is set out in the table below:In 2020/21Capacity (GW)Generation (GWh)Offshore Wind10.238,200Onshore Wind13.233,500Solar PV9.69,100Biomass Conversions2.214,800Please note that the generation has been rounded to the nearest 100th gigawatt hour.It is important to note that these estimates include assumptions about policy changes which have been proposed but not yet finalised and which could therefore change subject to the responses received – in particular, the consultation on a review of the Feed-in Tariff scheme, and the consultation on changes to financial support for solar PV under the Renewables Obligation:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-a-review-of-the-feed-in-tariff-scheme#history;https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/changes-to-financial-support-for-solar-pv.

Wind Power: Subsidies

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether she has made an estimate of what the change in electricity bills will be as a result of the withdrawal of market support mechanisms for onshore wind; and if she will make a statement.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government will reintroduce measures for the early closure of the Renewables Obligation (RO) for new onshore wind in Great Britain, when the Energy Bill is in the Commons. The measures will close the RO from 1 April 2016 – a year earlier than originally planned.As set out in the impact assessment, it is estimated that the proposed early closure of the RO to onshore wind will reduce household electricity bills.The impact assessment is available here:http://www.parliament.uk/documents/impact-assessments/IA15-007F.pdf

Attorney General

Serious Fraud Office

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the Answer of 15 October 2015 to Question 11456, whether any additional blockbuster funding has been requested by the Serious Fraud Office for 2015-16; and what assessment he has made of the likelihood of that office making further requests for additional blockbuster funding in the remainder of this financial year.

Robert Buckland: As I explained in my answer on 15 October, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) receives additional funding as part of the Main and Supplementary Estimates processes. The SFO received £10m of additional funding through the 2015-16 Main Estimates process.The Supplementary Estimates process for 2015-16 has not concluded. The SFO does expect to request additional funding as part of this process and details will be published at the appropriate time.

Wales Office

Tidal Power: Swansea Bay

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on the proposed Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon.

Stephen Crabb: My Ministerial team and I have regular discussions with the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on numerous subjects, including the proposed Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon.This could be an exciting project with potential to open the door to possible future tidal investment in other areas of Wales, but we need to ensure that the scheme is both affordable and value for money. The Government is currently in the first phase of a Contract for Difference negotiation with the developer of the proposed project. This process of due diligence will enable us to gain a better understanding of the project, including detailed scrutiny of its costs, timescales and potential benefits.

Wales Office: Stationery

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what estimate he has made of the value of stationery that has been (a) lost and (b) stolen from his Department in each of the last five fiscal years; and what the cost was of replacing such stationery.

Alun Cairns: There has been no stationery reported lost or stolen from the Wales Office in the last five fiscal years.

Devolution: Wales

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, with reference to the Written Statement by the Secretary of State for Scotland, HCWS282 whether he plans to bring forward proposals to amend the draft Wales Bill to include a requirement that the National Assembly for Wales and the Welsh Government should not be abolished except on the basis of a decision of the people of Wales.

Stephen Crabb: Clause 1 of the draft Wales Bill reflected the equivalent clause in the Scotland Bill on the date of publication. The Government will consider carefully whether any changes to the wording of the Scotland Bill clause should be reflected for Wales in the Wales Bill

Ministry of Justice

Magistrates' Courts: Bury

Mr David Nuttall: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the operating costs under each category of expenditure were of Bury Magistrates' Court in the latest period for which figures are available.

Mr Shailesh Vara: Operating costs for Bury Magistrates’ Court are provided below. The figures provided do not include staff or judicial costs as it is not possible to attribute all of these costs to a particular site.Bury Magistrates' Court and County Court  Operating costs 2014/15Rates (Estate)£75,999Audit & Monitor Serv£1,423Estate Surveying£562Building Maintenance£114,014Security£66,004Utility - Electricity£57,719Cleaning£44,224Estate Management£34,484Utility - Gas£27,806Postage & Distribution - Royal Mail£22,605Telephony£22,101Utility - Water£19,872Stationery & Office Supplies£7,918IT Printing£5,516Telecomms - Charges/Rental-non mobile£4,181Waste Disposal£2,996Fleet Vehicles - Lease Charges£2,480Equipment Maintenance£1,539Telecomms - Charges/Rental - mobile£1,400Fleet Vehicles - Maintenance£1,379Fleet Vehicles - Insurance£1,361Design/Print/Reprographic Services£1,047Grounds Maintenance£641Pest and Vermin£378Off-Site Storage£288Catering-Office Drinking Water£263IT Desktops£201Events & Conferences£110IT Network Services£57Mechanical & Electrical-£4,799DX postal service£10,464Compensation Payments£2,320Manual Ex Gratia Payments£1,190Special Payments£200Hire Purchase Checks by Bailiffs£49Miscellaneous Running Costs-£12Total£527,980

Young Offenders: Education

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many young people in young offenders institutions receive 30 hours education each week.

Andrew Selous: Since 16 August 2015, education providers in public sector Young Offender Institutions (YOIs) are required to provide 27 hours of education a week, which is supplemented by 3 hours of physical exercise. On average, 27 hours of education is being provided in these YOIs.Although the majority of education time is protected, the number of hours of education actually received by young people is sometimes lower than this due to a variety of necessary interruptions, such as court appearances, family visits, or medical appointments. The number of people in YOIs receiving 27 hours of education each week is not recorded centrally. The Youth Justice Board is currently working with the National Offender Management Service, YOIs and education providers to increase the number of education hours received by young people.

Prisoners: Liverpool

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to support suicidal and vulnerable inmates in (a) HMP Liverpool and (b) HMP Altcourse.

Andrew Selous: Every self-inflicted death is a tragedy and we are committed to reducing the number of self-inflicted deaths in prisons. All prisons are required to have procedures in place to identify, manage and support people who are at risk of harm to themselves, and the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) has put in place additional resources to undertake this safer custody work. NOMS is also reviewing the operation of the case management process for prisoners assessed as being at risk and the Government is considering the recommendations of Lord Harris’ Review into the deaths in custody of young adults. HMP Liverpool is implementing the recommendations arising out of the most recent inspection by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons, published on 20 October 2015. The prison has a full safer custody team, which has been allocated additional resources to support prisoners identified as being at risk. It operates a Listener peer support service in partnership with the Samaritans and will shortly be opening an early days centre to improve support for new prisoners. HMP Altcourse has a local safer custody improvement plan that includes improvements to the support offered to prisoners in their early days. It also operates a Listener scheme with the support of the Samaritans.

Reoffenders

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will hold discussions with the devolved administrations on establishing best practice in reducing re-offending rates throughout the UK.

Andrew Selous: Reoffending had been too high for too long. Under the last government, we reformed the way offenders are managed in the community, so all offenders get support when they leave prison. We want to build on this to address what can be done whilst offenders are in prison, with a new emphasis on rehabilitation and redemption. Working with the voluntary, public and private sectors, we are helping offenders turn away from crime.Research and evidence of best practice is shared widely across the United Kingdom and we engage the Devolved Administrations on a wide range of offender issues. We will ensure that these discussions include examining the most effective measures for reducing reoffending.

Courts: Ormskirk

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the proposals on the provision of court and tribunal estate in England and Wales published by his Department on 16 July 2015, when the decision was taken to include Ormskirk Magistrates' Court and Family Court in the list of courts to be considered for closure.

Mr Shailesh Vara: A Written Ministerial Statement announcing the consultation on the closure of 91 courts in England and Wales was laid on 16 July 2015. Until that announcement, no final decision had been made on courts being considered for closure.

Courts: Lancashire

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, why HM Courts and Tribunals Service officials based in Lancashire were not informed that courts in that county were to be considered for closure before the consultation on the proposal for a single local justice area for Lancashire.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The consultation on the merger of the Local Justice Areas in Lancashire was launched on behalf of the Cumbria and Lancashire Judicial Business Group. This consultation closed on the 10 July 2015 and is separate to the consultation on the court and tribunal estate which I announced on 16 July 2015.

Courts: Lancashire

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when HM Courts and Tribunals Service Delivery Director for the North West region was informed of the inclusion of courts in Lancashire on the list of courts being considered for closure under the proposals announced on 23 June 2015.

Mr Shailesh Vara: A Written Ministerial Statement announcing the consultation on the closure of 91 courts in England and Wales was laid on 16 July 2015. Until that announcement, no final decision had been made on courts being considered for closure.

Coroners: Greater London

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department is investigating complaints made about the conduct and performance of the West London Coroner.

Caroline Dinenage: Operational responsibility for coroner services lies with the relevant local authority - in this case the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham – and complaints about a coroner’s conduct are investigated by the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO). The JCIO has recently confirmed that it is investigating a complaint about the West London Senior Coroner.

Prisons

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what measures the Government plans to take to address the concerns expressed by the Chief Inspector of Prisons in his Annual Report for 2014-15, published on 15 July 2015; and what those measures will be on each of the four assessed outcomes referred to in the introduction to that report.

Andrew Selous: The Ministry of Justice welcomed the scrutiny brought by the Chief Inspector of Prisons in his annual report published in July 2015. Steps have been taken at each of the prisons inspected during 2014-15 to address the specific recommendations made, and detailed action plans put in place. We are also seeking to address the Chief Inspector’s comments on each of the four outcomes of safety, respect, purposeful activity and resettlement, and we are tackling the risks of increased violence highlighted by the Chief Inspector.The National Offender Management Service is committed to running safe prisons. We are holding a more violent prison population; the number of people sentenced to prison for violent offences has increased by 30% in the last 10 years. In addition the illicit use of New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) has been a significant factor in fuelling violence in prisons. This Government has introduced two new offences through the Serious Crime Act 2015 for being in possession of a knife or other offensive weapon within a prison without authorisation, and throwing of items, including NPS over a prison wall without authorisation. This offence will help to control these substances in prison. We are also introducing an offence of possession of NPS in the prison estate.NOMS also operates a violence reduction project to gain a better understanding of the causes of the current levels of violence in prisons and to ensure that there is strengthened handling of it, in terms of both prevention and response. A joint national protocol between the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), the CPS, and ACPO was published in February 2015 with the purpose of ensuring a nationally consistent approach to the referral and prosecution of crimes in prison.The Chief Inspector of Prisons found that “respect” (how a prisoner is treated) held up best amongst their four areas of inspection. We are continuing to take forward the strengths he highlighted which included: good staff/prisoner relationships, increased use of prisoner peer mentors and good practice in health care.We noted the Chief Inspector’s concerns about “purposeful activity”. We want prisons to be places of hard work, rigorous education and high ambition, with incentives for prisoners to learn and for prison staff to prioritise education and work. The hours worked by prisoners in industrial occupations has already risen from 10.6 million hours in 2010/2011 to 14.2 million hours in the 2013-2014.Finally in relation to resettlement (preparing prisoners for their release into the community) we have put in place an unprecedented nationwide ‘through the prison gate’ resettlement service, meaning most offenders are given continuous support by one provider from custody into the community. Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) launched their ‘Through the Gate’ service on 1 May 2015. This service provides offenders with support to find accommodation and jobs, finance and debt advice, and support for sex workers and victims of domestic violence.

Prisoners: Gender Recognition

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his policy is on the location of imprisonment of transgender prisoners.

Caroline Dinenage: Prison Service Instruction 07/2011 sets out NOMS policy on the care and management of prisoners who live or propose to live in a gender other than the one assigned at birth. Prisoners are normally placed according to their legally recognised gender. However, the guidelines allow room for discretion and senior prison staff will review the circumstances of every case in consultation with medical and other experts in order to protect the physical and emotional wellbeing of the person concerned along with the safety and wellbeing of other prisoners.A review of the current policy on transgender and transsexual prisoners began earlier this year and revised policy guidance will be issued to reflect NOMS' responsibilities to transgender offenders in the community as well as in custody. The intention is to implement the guidance early in the New Year.

Criminal Proceedings: Education

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he or Ministers in his Department will attend the heats and further stages of the Bar National Mock Trials Competition.

Mr Shailesh Vara: I am aware of this valuable initiative for school students organised by the Citizenship Foundation and funded by the Bar. While Ministers have no current plans to attend any of the stages, I wish this competition continuing success.

Cabinet Office

House of Lords Composition

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether it is the Government's policy to increase the membership of the House of Lords by over 100 members during the course of this Parliament.

John Penrose: Holding answer received on 06 November 2015



The Government does not have a policy of the kind described in this question. Our policy on the House of Lords is described in the Conservative Party election manifesto 2015.

Suicide: Males

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the suicide rate was for young men in (a) Barnsley Central constituency, (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and (c) the UK in the last five years.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Letter to Member - Suicide Rate
(PDF Document, 130.79 KB)

Oral Cancer

Jim Shannon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people in each age group have been diagnosed with mouth cancer in each of the last five years.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Letter to Member - Mouth Cancer
(PDF Document, 98.53 KB)

Lung Cancer

Jim Shannon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people have been diagnosed with lung cancer in each of the last five years.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Letter to Member - Lung Cancer
(PDF Document, 182.44 KB)

Average Earnings: Ashfield

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what change there has been in median gross weekly pay for (a) men and (b) women in Ashfield constituency in each year since 2010.

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many and what proportion of (a) men and (b) women have been paid the minimum wage in (i) Ashfield constituency, (ii) each constituency in Nottinghamshire and (iii) England in each year since 2010.

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many and what proportion of (a) men and (b) women were paid the living wage in (i) Ashfield constituency, (ii) each constituency in Nottinghamshire and (iii) England in each year since 2010.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



Excel Sheet for Member - Various issues
(Excel SpreadSheet, 23.3 KB)




UKSA Letter to Member - Various issues
(PDF Document, 120.35 KB)

Government Departments: Procurement

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many organisations considered in-scope under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 have provided Certificates of Performance in each Department in 2015.

Matthew Hancock: The Cabinet Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Public Sector: Procurement

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether organisations considered in-scope under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 have submitted Certificates of Performance to the Crown Commercial Service for each in-scope stand-alone public contract as required under those Regulations.

Matthew Hancock: The Cabinet Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Government Departments: Procurement

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which suppliers have provided Certificates of Performance under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 for each Department in 2015.

Matthew Hancock: The Cabinet Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Drugs: Death

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many deaths in (a) Wales and (b) Scotland were caused by people taking legal highs in each of the last five years.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Letter to Member - Legal Highs
(PDF Document, 126.92 KB)

House of Commons Commission

Acts: Publishing

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, what discussions the Commission has had with archival experts (a) within and (b) outside Parliament on ending the use of vellum for printing Acts of Parliament.

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, whether the Commission consulted (a) users and (b) makers of vellum on ending the use of vellum for printing Acts of Parliament.

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, what alternative media for printing Acts of Parliament the Commission has considered.

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, what estimate the Commission has made of the potential savings from ending the use of vellum for printing Acts of Parliament; and on what basis that estimate was made.

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, how much the use of vellum for printing Acts of Parliament cost in each year since 1999.

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, what advice the Commission has received on the comparative longevity of archival paper and vellum.

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, what estimate the Commission has made of the average cost of the reproduction of an Act of Parliament on archival paper once it has deteriorated.

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, what estimate the Commission has made of the annual cost of the (a) storage, (b) continued care and maintenance and (c) re-printing of archival paper.

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, what estimate the Commission has made of the savings from ending the printing of Acts of Parliament on vellum; and what proportion of those savings arises from (a) William Cowley and (b) other costs from the use of vellum.

Tom Brake: The House of Lords is responsible for the printing of two record copies of each Act, both printed on vellum in accordance with the Resolutions agreed by both Houses in February 1849. The Commission does not incur any expenditure on the printing of these copies, and has therefore undertaken no inquiry into, or consultation on, the proposal from the Chairman of Committees in the House of Lords to move to the use of archival paper. It has also therefore not sought to assess alternative options, nor undertaken any analysis of relative storage or care costs of vellum as opposed to archival paper. The House of Lords agreed in 1999 to vary its resolution and that vellum should cease to be used. The predecessor Administration Committee had considered arguments in support of a similar proposal from the House of Lords in June 1999. That Committee recommended in a report (Record Copies of Acts, HC 539) to the House that the proposal to end the use of vellum be accepted. However, following a debate on 1 November 1999, on a motion that the Commons agree with the Lords in their resolution, the proposal was rejected by the Commons. [Deb HC: 1 November 1999, Col 32ff].In his letter to the Administration Committee of 17 September, printed with the Committee’s Report (Record Copies of Acts, HC 521), the Chairman of Committees stated that the average annual cost of printing vellums is around £100,000 a year. I understand that the current estimate of the savings arising from a switch to archival paper are about 80%, amounting to around £800,000 of savings to public funds over the next ten years. These arise from the greater ease of printing on paper rather than vellum, as well as the raw material costs. The exact level of savings to public funds will depend on the number of Acts passed, and number of pages per Act, per year, and the precise specification and contractual arrangements agreed for future printing. The Commission has made no assessment of the breakdown of savings arising.The Chairman of Committees records in his letter the view that high quality archival paper would maintain durability and print quality. I understand that the National Archives has already informed Parliament that it does not require a vellum copy, and that it takes the view that archival quality paper is sufficient to maintain the public record. It also maintains a comprehensive database of legislation, both “as originally enacted” and “as amended”, on www.legislation.gov.uk. Private Acts have been printed on archival paper since 1956. There are internationally recognised ISO standards for archival paper, and for archival quality ink and printing processes.